The Illusionist
Unlike his popular score for 2002'sThe Hours,which was intimate and performed by a small ensemble, the music Philip Glass came up with forThe Illusionistis 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