Track Listing

1. County Galway, June 1892
2. Fighting Donellys
3. Jo SR.'s Passing/The Duel Scene
4. Leaving Home
5. Burning the Manor House
6. Blowing off Steam
7. Fighting for Dough
8. Am I Beautiful?
9. Big Match
10. Inside the Mansion - Enya
11. Shannon Is Shot - The Chieftains
12. Joseph's Dream - The Chieftains
13. Reunion
14. Oklahoma Territory - The Chieftains
15. Land Race
16. Settling With Steven/The Race to the River
17. Joseph and Shannon
18. Book of Days
19. End Credits

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10675 in Music
• Brand: MCA
• Released on: 1992-05-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Customer Reviews

Far and Away...a fabulous soundtrack!
Far and Away. This is Ireland for you! John Williams expresses his talent in writing Irish music in this soundtrack, and whether or not you like Irish music, this soundtrack is still likely to please all! John Williams makes a good mix between Irish and American-style music. Track number 1, "Country Galway, June 1982", starts with low piano chords, and then a bagpipe (recorder rather) joins in. As the music progresses, it eventually leads to the main theme, which is heard quite often throughout the CD. Track 2 is the closet I have ever heard John Williams come to writing a totally, great-sounding Irish song. Performed by the music group, "The Chieftains", the music begins with the low beat of Irish drums, and then a couple of fiddles and a recorder join in. The rest of the music on Far and Away is a good mixture between peaceful, flowing music to occasional tense music. "The Land Race" (track 15), begins with low strings and a few percussion instruments in the background. (This track reminds me of Medal of Honor) Eventually, as the music continues to build, brass join in with the strings and play a wild, inspiring track. Later on, the same Irish instruments used in track 2 play for a short period of time, then the strings take over once again in the background, and the brass and percussion continue to play on until the high-point of the music, where it becomes very inspiring, and carries that big orchestral sound that is always right around the corner...(It's always like that with any John William's score) I absolutely love this CD, and many would say that 5 starts would be their own rating of Far and Away. Get this soundtrack!

Williams in top form once again
I don't know how many times i've said that before. So many i've lost count. John Williams is without a doubt the best composer out there. He is the best thematic composer hands down and writes knockout theme after knockout theme. This one is no exception. With a touch of Irish in the music, similiar to the route Horner used in Braveheart (Braveheart used Scottish), Far and Away blows Braveheart out of the water. 2 dominant themes occur throughout the score. The first one features The Chieftains, along with Uillean pipes, pan flutes, and penny whistles. The second, which is the main theme and the one that gives the score its 5 stars, is bold, brassy, noble, and heroic all thrown into one. "The Duel Scene" and "Leaving Home" feature this theme played by strings. Fun cues to listen to include "Blowing Off Steam" and "Fighting For Dough". Both contain exciting and very fast violin lines. "The Big Match" is a highlight action cue with a militaristic snare drum thrown in. "Joseph's Dream" contains an upbeat brass march that explodes into the main theme. The best track on the album by far is "The Land Race" which is Williams in top form. It is an epic action cue that lays out the main theme the best you will ever hear it in a full brass performance. "End Credits" features both themes thrown into one suite. Enya's song "Book of Days" is good and fits into the score perfectly. This is a score that deserves to be heard because it is so good. In other words, its a John Williams score.

By "far" this score will take you "away"!
This is one of John's most outstanding pieces! Great Irish tunes, very catchy themes, and every song is good. Sounds a lot like "The Patriot" with an Irish twist (but that's a good thing)! And for being rare to find, this is a great price!