Windtalkers - Expanded

Intrada presents a 3-CD set of James Horner's epic score to the 2002 MGM film Windtalkers. With a lengthy running time of over 110 minutes, Horner's score straddles two lines - the action and power of battle, but also the complexity and depth of the film's characters. In fact, it was the film's focus on human relationships that drew Horner to score the film. As Horner stated, "Without the emotional dimension of the characters, I wouldn't have accepted this project. The challenge was to take these two aspects [war and man] and go in two opposite musical directions." t was this aspect that made the music both soulful and heartfelt. As Frank DeWald writes in his liner notes, "The most salient characteristic of Horner's music for Windtalkers...is its linearity. The majority of the score consists of lines - unison lines, parallel lines and contrapuntal lines. Lines by their nature propel music forward, and in a film score they move the picture itself ahead. Horner also generates emotion through the way his lines work together." All told it was a challenging project for Horner, as the film went through numerous editorial changes resulting in significant edits, trims and repeats of the score throughout the film.

The first two discs of this album feature the complete score as Horner intended, rounded out with a suite of alternates. Since some of the tracks on the original 2002 album are assembled from various takes that Horner preferred over their exact film counterparts, the original album program is presented on disc 3. Sometimes these preferences involve just a mere two bars of material. Ultimately the tracks on the first two discs of this release are assembled as they were recorded and may slightly differ in timings from their uniquely assembled original album counterparts.