From Russia With Love: The Game Soundtrack Review (Christopher Lennertz)

Soundtrack Review

Few franchises have been as successful as the James Bond series. Spanning over 20 movies, 007 has now moved into the videogame arena with From Russia With Love being only one of its entries. The game is loosely based on the film and even features the vocal talents of Sean Connery himself, backed by the compositional skill of Christopher Lennertz. Lennertz is proving himself to be quite adept at scoring videogames, having 3 Medal Of Honour instalments and the Western-shooter GUN under his belt. From Russia With Love is no departure from that trend, and with a whole line of Lennertz-scored Bond games expected in the future I feel that the gaming branch of James Bond is in good hands.
The score is primarily an action one, with little time devoted to the lush, romantic music John Barry excelled at (although ‘Call Me Tania’ is one exception). However the plethora of action music here does not become dull; it is well structured around many motifs and has that slowly-building quality Barry infused into his action pieces. While not as melodic as Barry’s compositions and a little more Mickey-mousey, the music is at once serious but also suitably camp. The opening ‘Bond Theme’ provides a pretty straightforward, but enjoyable, interpretation of Norman’s famous theme. The percussive and jazzy elements are at the forefront of the mix, introducing the retro-60s style Lennertz manages to thread into the score very easily.
The Bond theme is integrated generously into the score (when you have a theme that good to work with, why not?) from little hints (fleeting horn calls in ‘Sniper Part 1’) to full-blown renditions (the full jazzy arrangement in ‘Enemy Base’). Lennertz stays true to the 60s style by giving the electric guitar a few showings and laying the brass on thick to give the action music a suitably melodramatic feel. In fact, this is one of the best impressions of the 60s Bond sound next to Michael Giacchino’s The Incredibles. Lennertz also excels in the ‘sneaky’ music, using fluttering woodwinds and tense percussive elements.
Several themes are present, the most prominent being a pompous brassy fanfare in ‘Istanbul’ with an appropriately ethnic flavour (later given a full reading in ‘Truck Attack’) and a sneering 3-note motif most prominent in ‘Station T’- a track which is almost a direct repetition of Barry’s ‘Countdown’ from Goldfinger. Barry’s influence is respected throughout, from the aforementioned Goldfinger reference to a string passage of the From Russia With Love theme in ‘Chop Shop’ along with a quote of the descending 4-note motif from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service on electric guitar in ‘Parliament’ and lurking bassoon in ‘Enemy Base’. The most enjoyable of these hints has to be the references to Barry’s frenetically percussive 007 theme (which he introduced in the film version of From Russia With Love) interspersed throughout the score. These include a frantic brass pronouncement in ‘Chop Shop’ and a more subtle statement in the climactic ‘End Of Grant Escape’. However, despite these Barry-homages the score is firmly Lennertz’s own- his voice is dominant.
The score was recorded at London’s famous Abbey Road and feels suitably grand. Refreshingly, the score is all orchestral with no synthesised elements. Sadly there is no commercial release (like Lennertz’s Medal Of Honour: Rising Sun) although an Itunes version is possible (fingers-crossed!).
Put simply, this is a very good score. Lennertz has composed a great action score full of 60s flavour but also appropriate for a modern-game, with plenty of Barry quotes and many references to the Bond theme. If this ever gets a commercial release, get it!

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Availability Promotional release Date Released 2005 Label N/A