Track Listing

1. Main Titles
2. Homer's Lessons
3. Young Girl's Burial
4. Homer Asks Wally for a Ride
5. Homer Leaves Orphanage
6. Ocean
7. Cider House
8. Wally Goes off to War
9. Lobster Dinner
10. Burying Fuzzy
11. Homer & Candy on the Dock
12. Rose Rose Is Pregnant
13. Abortion
14. Picklers Leave
15. Dr. Larch Dies
16. Homer Returns to the Orphanage
17. Good-Night, You Kings of New England
18. End Credits

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13332 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 1999-12-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
With its idyllic New England locales and multiple themes, director Lasse Hallstrom's version of John Irving's book presented composer Rachel Portman with some challenging, if deceptively simple, choices. Portman's main theme (imagine a pastoral Copland waltz), stated by solo piano and then orchestra, sets us firmly in the tranquil Maine countryside, while permutations of it continually shade the film's various dramatic intentions. It's a simple, time-honored device, yet one that carries the implicit danger of Repetitive Schmaltz Syndrome. But Portman's melodic construction here is so strong, and her arranging skills so multihued, that she ultimately pulls off the tricky balancing act and delivers a rewarding listening experience. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Simply beautiful
I have listened to the score from "The Cider House Rules" perhaps a hundred times. Each time I ask myself, "What is so compelling about this score? Why do I keep coming back to it and finding something new with each listening?"

I believe it is simple elegance. The music is truly moving and the themes are beautiful. However, it is something more. It touches to the heart all the complex emotion, the love, the confusion, the excitement and in the end the acceptance and understanding of the deep and sometimes dark story of the film. The themes are All American. The emotion is universal.

For me, the test of a good film score is when it works both as an integral part of the film and can stand alone as an individual composition. In this regard, "The Cider House Rules" is a remarkable achievement.

Inspiring and Reflective
I have collected dramatic score soundtracks for over 15 years. This soundtrack ranks in the top 5%. The piano and orchestral accompaniment make this recording a must for all serious collectors. It will uplift and inspire you, as well as invite you to see the film again and again.

Rachel Portman's best yet
I heard portions of this score played on local public radio and immediately had to have the CD. It is one of the most beautiful film soundtracks I have heard. Rachel Portman has written as masterpiece with Cider House. I do believe that she will receive an Academy Award nomination for this piece.