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Editorial Reviews

Composer James Horner, who's won Oscars for Iris and A Beautiful Mind, finds his latest challenge in an oft-filmed classic novel, A.E.W. Mason's The Four Feathers, this time directed by Shekhar Kapur. Horner's lush score is a virtual musical travelogue spanning the vast cultural gap between Great Britain and the deserts of colonial Africa at the height of the British Empire. The composer collaborated closely with Qawwali singer Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, one of a family of African vocalists dedicated to preserving the haunting traditional music of the Sufi Muslims, which features centuries-old melodies marked by intense vocal melismas. Deeply atmospheric and giddy with dramatic intensity, Horner's score highlights the tale of Harry Feversham, a young British soldier who resigns his post in 1875 when he learns his regiment is headed for a tour of duty in the troubled Sudan. He's branded a traitor before redeeming his honor by rescuing his fellow soldiers, who are under brutal attack by the Sudanese rebels. Horner juxtaposes almost operatic Western orchestral themes and stirring martial drums with exotic African instrumentation and spine-tingling, chantlike vocals, creating an evocative score that's as beautiful and grandly sweeping as Mason's original tale. L.D. Beghtol, Barnes & Noble

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