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| The Illusionist | 
 enlarge | Creator: Philip Glass
Label: Rykodisc
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $13.53
You Save: $5.45 (29%)
Buy New/Used from $13.48
Avg. Customer Rating:  (31 reviews)
Sales Rank: 9069
Format: Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 10884
UPC: 014431088421
EAN: 0014431088421
ASIN: B000H0MKI8
Release Date: August 15, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | The Illusionist | | • | Do You Know Me? | | • | Chance Encounter | | • | The Locket | | • | The Orange Tree | | • | The Mirror | | • | Wish I Would See You Again | | • | The Sword | | • | Meeting In The Carriage | | • | Sophie | | • | The Secret Plot | | • | Sophie's Ride To The Castle | | • | The Accident | | • | The New Theater | | • | Frankel Appears | | • | A Shout From The Crowd | | • | Eisenheim Disappears | | • | The Search | | • | The Missing Gem | | • | The Chase | | • | Life In The Mountains |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
Music From The Film The Illusionist features an original score by acclained modern minimalist composer Philip Glass. Glass? renowned restrained, yet elegant style has captivated audiences around the world for years. "The soundtrack to The Illusionist is a driving force to the movie," comments director Neil Burger. "There are many scenes and sequences without dialogue and it falls to the music to tell the story." Glass recorded the original score with a large orchestra, which results in an emotionally driven and epic soundtrack. Glass? sophisticated music has been featured in numerous movies throughout his career, earning him many awards and critical praise. Award winning writer/director/actor Edward Norton stars alongside Jessica Biel and Paul Giamatti in The Illusionist.
Amazon.com
Unlike his popular score for 2002's The Hours, which was intimate and performed by a small ensemble, the music Philip Glass came up with for The Illusionist is quite opulent. Its old-world ambiance befits Neil Burger's movie, a suspenseful period piece set in 1900 Vienna, but the score, performed by the Czech Film Orchestra, easily stands on its own as well. Glass's trademark waxing and waning is present of course--the most Glass-esque tracks include "The Orange Tree" and "The Secret Plot" (in which delicate brushed drums drive the beat against a dull pounding echo). But most rewarding is finally hearing non-stereotypical actions/suspense cues: "The Accident," "A Shout from the Crowd," "The Search" or "The Chase" make you wish Hollywood thought outside the box more often, and called Glass instead of the usual go-to guys when in need of a composer for big-budget action flicks. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 Movie and Sound Track July 27, 2008
This is an excellent movie with suspense up to the surprise ending. The soundtrack is exceptional and haunting.
A Great Score from Philip Glass February 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The music for The Illusionist by Philip Glass was beautifully composer for the film and is a score that one pays attention to as the film plays. Listening to it on its own I was struck how one track flows into the next, as if the music was one cohesive entity rather than disconnected segments. This might appear to suggest that the music does not have much in the way of variation but there that is not true as Mr. Glass alters the complexity of each selection ant the music moves toward the climax of the ending of the film.
The mystery of "The Illusionist" is nice captured by the dominance of a string orchestra. The opening music introduces a theme that seems to be love music for Eisenheim and Sophie. The Orange Tree, for example, unfolds beautifully with the orchestra strings building slowly and accompanied by a celesta as the tree itself grows and bears fruit. Mr. Glass makes sparing but effective use of brass and winds to increase the drama of the music. Do You Know Me? is a nice example of the composer blending the strings with percussion, brass and winds to increase the sense of mystery. The lone trumpet that plays in Eisenheim Disappears is effective in creating the mood of the scene as the hero of the story dissolves in front of his audience.
The music is beautifully descriptive of the action of the film but is not the kind of music that offers a lot of flashy themes. This is more introspective music describing the characters and the mood, and as such may turn some listeners off. I like music for string orchestras so the score was of interest for me and having experienced it with the film I could relate to what was being conveyed. If you think likewise you will probably want this disc.
A Stand-Alone Masterpiece October 31, 2007
So many reviews have been written; what else could be said? Yet listening again to this masterpiece moves me to express my joy in this music.
Seeing the illusionist it is clear that the film and music are of a single piece, in perfect synchrony and harmony, so well entwined as to be at times breathtaking. One might expect then that the soundtrack disk would be lame without its other leg, as the film would be without the music . But this is not the case. The soundtrack is itself a perfectly constructed drama with its 21 tracks forming a discernible and intelligible arc. This might suggest that the film itself is planned in terms of a musical development.
The music with film, and music alone, are both incredibly rewarding experiences.
Lush & mesmerizing October 2, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A perfect melding of music with film, Philip Glass' quietly sweeping score enhances & enriches the visuals without ever having to hammer us over the head with emotional cues -- it lets us feel, rather than telling us what to feel. For a style so firmly associated with the present, this music is right at home in the 1890s -- elegant, ornate, utterly Romantic. It's one of those scores that can easily stand on its own as a work of art, and would be evocative even to someone who hadn't seen the film. Its dreamlike quality simply carries the listener away -- most definitely recommended!
Beautiful Glass August 8, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you're already a fan of Philip Glass,you'll recognize this as among his best. If you don't yet know his work, and came here because you found the background music in the movie noticeably yet unobstrusively beautiful, then buy this CD and immerse yourself.
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