November 27, 2018
Zbigniew Preisner’s haunting VALLEY OF SHADOWS released by Caldera
Caldera Records of Germany presents their latest release, the atmospheric and provocative score for the 2017 Norwegian motion picture VALLEY OF SHADOWS (“’Skyggenes dal”), directed by Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen, featuring music by Zbigniew Preisner (Kieślowski’s THREE COLORS, THE SECRET GARDEN).
“More of a dark mood piece than a conventional horror film, this atmospheric Nordic fable tips its hat to Peter and the Wolf in a dense woodland setting seemingly suspended between dreamscape and unnerving reality,” wrote David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter. The film “washes over you, in which a boy gets lost in his nightmares, perhaps learning that the monster all children fear is a force to be protected.”
Born in Bielsko-Biała in 1955, Zbigniew Preisner has been composing music in his native Poland since the early 1980s. He is best-known for his work with Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski on his epic THREE COLORS trilogy. His collaboration with Gulbrandsen on VALLEY OF SHADOWS introduced him to some new concepts, as the score combines electronic and symphonic elements, augmented by the voice of Lisa Gerrard who appears in two striking tracks; as well, an 18-minute long passage entitled “Odyssey” underscores the moments as the main character in the film finds something he cannot comprehend with an almost continuous sonority. This is a beautifully lyrical and mesmerizing work which is as sonically enchanting as it is haunting. The music’s dark and menacing fabric manages to be creepy but evocative, deliriously compelling and yet dangerously foreboding. -rdl
This 28th CD-release of Caldera Records features a detailed booklet-text by Gergely Hubai and elegant artwork by Luis Miguel Rojas. The CD was produced by Stephan Eicke and John Elborg. Links to a soundtrack suite and film trailer are embedded below.
For more details including soundbytes and ordering information, see caldera
Hear a suite from the score on Soundcloud:
Watch the film trailer:
