Pope Joan (known as Die Papstin in its original German) is an acclaimed German film which chronicles the odd (and possibly true!) story of Joanna of Ingelheim, a woman who managed to disguise herself and become the Catholic Pope.
Marcel Barsotti, one of Germany's premier film composers, has created a finely layered, intensely emotional score for the film, rich with liturgical plainsong and fluid orchestral harmony. Beautiful themes and sumptuous textures grace this surprising score which might have gone largely unnoticed by American mainstream listeners.
Intelligent Religion-Based Classical Score by Marcel Barsotti
Based primarily around a standard orchestral ensemble and supported by a solid array of period instruments, soloists, and choral arrangements, Die Papstin's main appeal is not in any flashy display of bombast or catchy, obvious themes, but in intelligent ensemble arrangement and orchestration, as well as steadily developed variations on the score's primary themes.
Superficially beautiful, the score has little other immediate, outward appeal, but is rather a score of deep compositional integrity, unfolding its many strengths and beauties with attentive, repeated listens.
Orchestral Instrumentation in Barsotti's Soundtrack
Utilizing standard string harmonies with delicate piano solos and sonorous woodwind passages, the score occasionally deviates from the standard orchestral pallette in cues such as "Carnival," where a medieval dance form prevails, or "Anno Domini 887," which introduces the first of several mesmerising plainsong choral chants.
The guitar solo at the outset of "Like a Mustard Seed in the Garden" is notable, though brief. A panpipe and recorder in "I Wanted You As My Wife" provide for a lovely minute or two before the martial bombast of "Norman Assault," a cue marked by strident, fiery brass and percussion, reprised later in "The Battle of Fontenoy" and "Emperor Lothar."
Generally Reverent Tone of Die Papstin Score Album
The overall tone of Die Papstin is one of deeply spiritual drama, with few lighthearted moments to be heard, and with many cues adopting an astonishingly noble and somber attitude with deep bass strings and solo voice ("Count Gerold's Pain," "Liber Pontificalis"), with occasional outbursts of full choral chanting ("Easter Ceremony"), presenting a deep sonic landscape which is never less than impressive in it resonance. A rich choral and brass crescendo in “Pilgrimage to Rome,” "Coronation" and “Ink for Shame” are album highlights, as is the enjoyable six-minute suite at the end of the score.
The score is thoroughly classical in construction, deftly merging modern orchestral and choral sensibilities with authentic early music instrumentation and techniques. The listening experience is a rich and very layered one indeed, which rewards succeeding listens with something new to be heard as the musical nuances are discovered.
Conclusion
Mainstream listeners may find little to interest them in an obscure and hard-to-find score to a foreign film by a little-known German composer, but dedicated film score collectors are urged to seek this one out: it features an emotional and intellectual integrity and quality which is becoming increasingly rare in the film music industry, and it functions as a fine and engrossing stand-alone listening experience. As film scores go, this one perhaps requires a bit more investment than usual to truly appreciate, but the returns for those so inclined will be well worth it. Highly recommended.
The score is available most readily through AmazonMP3, although it can be obtained as an imported CD product.
David Abraham Dueck - I live in MN and do not surf or collect Hello Kitty paraphernalia. I instead play ice hockey, write articles for my blog, read tons of ...
