{"id":5468,"date":"2012-12-17T17:00:47","date_gmt":"2012-12-17T16:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/satrapov.net\/mysst\/?page_id=5468"},"modified":"2017-01-20T22:58:49","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T21:58:49","slug":"music","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.grafskaya.club\/mysst\/detailed-reviews-g-z\/myst-iii-exile\/music\/","title":{"rendered":"Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n

Jack Wall’s first contribution to the Myst series is a mixed bag. It\u2019s a fully orchestrated score, but while some of the tunes are definitely memorable, there\u2019s also some more throwaway stuff and some which I don\u2019t find entirely fitting. The \u201cMain Theme\u201d, of which you’ll hear a modified version during the introduction (“Opening Titles”) is grandiose, with its characteristic opening on the duduk, a type of woodwind which Wall uses abundantly throughout the rest of the soundtrack. This \u201cMain Theme\u201d holds the distinction of being the first actual vocal track in a Myst game. The lyrics are in Narayani, alternating between a choir and a child\u2019s voice, supposed to represent a young \"Hello,<\/a>Saavedro. This melody serves as a musical cue for everything related to Saavedro and is notably present in a ghostly non-vocal form in his theme, which is otherwise a wonderfully destructured piece, conveying his madness with its insistent background beat and the strange, almost metallic noises and pained moans. But its most moving incarnation occurs in \u201cGoing Home\u201d. The “Main Theme” also incorporates the original Myst Theme, and veterans of the series will undoubtedly recognise its familiar \u201ctu-tum tu-tum\u201d. This melody has come to be associated with Atrus\u2019 by proxy: reassuring and familiar, but also sounding slightly worried, and it\u2019s no surprise to hear a variation of it playing in his study.<\/p>\n

\"Gold<\/a>Aside from this, three of the ages (Amateria, Edanna and Voltaic) have their own theme and three secondary tracks each. Amateria would probably win here, with its airy, Asian-sounding melody. The three secondary tracks are also quite lovely, but more loosely structured, which prevents them from being entirely memorable (e.g. \u201cThe Wheels of Wonder\u201d). Although \u201cThe Spider Spinner\u201d does have an intriguing, surreal side to it. This issue of the secondary tracks lacking structure also occurs in the other ages, and Voltaic would be the greatest offender here. While every tune associated with it has a thematically appropriate buzzing, humming undercurrent, the mournful vocal solo which intervenes in the middle of its main theme just doesn\u2019t fit. And neither of its other tunes is catchy enough. Edanna, on the other hand, features two more successful tracks: \u201cThe Forest and the Swamp\u201d, with its bird-like calls and fluttery sounds, and \u201cDeadwood Ridge\u201d, which somehow perfectly evokes the sunlit, windy vista from the top of Edanna (I think it\u2019s something to do with the repeated xylophone-like sounds). However, the main theme has a rather incongruous Middle-Eastern vibe, and \u201cSwing Vines\u201d is decidedly more menacing than anything in the age ever is.<\/p>\n

The rest of the music consists of short set pieces which punctuate particularly dramatic storyline moments (i.e. the beginning and each of the endings). Some of these are successful, like the ultimately reassuring \u201c All Is Well, My Friend\u201d or \u201cInto Oblivion\u201d with its cascading violins. \u201cHe Sees Hope\u201d and \u201cThe Tide Has Turned\u201d, which segues into \u201cThe Dilemma\u201d do a great job of maintaining tension and poignancy. However, others are less successful, like the messy \u201cLet Me Go!\u201d or the redundant \u201cConfrontation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

\n\t
<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Play<\/div>
Stop<\/div>
Next»<\/div>
«Prev<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
HIDE PLAYLIST<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t
<\/div>
  • <\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t <\/div>\n\t
    <\/div>
    <\/div>
    X<\/div><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\t
    <\/div>\n\t
    <\/div>\n <\/div> \n