Embrace the Darkness [AUDIO/2002.4.29]

★★★☆☆

  The champion of Embrace the Darkness is, oddly enough, neither the regulars (Paul McGann and India Fisher) nor the writer-director (Nicholas Briggs); it is instead composer and sound designer, Jim Mortimore (a daring writer as well). I've never been the biggest fan of Embrace the Darkness, but I've certainly waxed lyrical about its hauntingly good music. The way it splashes so much atmosphere and musical harmony onto a script demanding such high standards until it becomes this foreboding, truly intimidating mood piece... is simply superb. It's a testament to Mortimore as a composer that this story sounds completely different to everything that came before in Big Finish and almost everything that would come after; I can't tell you enough how much I love this score. Go buy it on his Bandcamp, it's worth the 8 quid. 

  As for the adventure overall, I must report that after all these years, it's still a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy listening to it more than I don't, but it's hard to ignore the fact that it becomes much less enjoyable after the superb first episode. The first part sets up the stakes so well, and Nicholas Biriggs's direction shines in this atmospheric tale... and then it's that wonderful atmosphere which is tasked with carrying the entire momentum of the story until the end. Mind you, it's a pretty darn strong atmosphere -- not just the Mortimore score, but the creepy whispers of the Cimmerians and the cold, harsh and calculative whirs and drones of the ROSM -- and I'd happily listen to six episodes of that atmosphere... but it's no secret that episodes three and four of the piece have barely anything happening in them. At some point, atmosphere isn't enough to keep me interested in what's going on. At the very least, McGann and Fisher try their best to make it as engaging as possible. Perhaps one of the most overlooked underwhelming resolutions in a Big Finish story as well? I hate to be pessimistic, but Embrace the Darkness deserves it somewhat for the way it disappointed me so. Hey, at least I still like it anyway; it's a fine audio drama, just not what it could have been. 

Writing the music for Embrace was a fantastic experience because it gave me an opportunity to work with two great musicians, Jane Elphinstone and Simon Robinson, who have both gone on to edit and score other plays for Big Finish. It also gave me the opportunity to be paid (for the first time!) for creating one thing I love very much – experimental electro-acoustic music.

I have worshipped at the altar of experimental and electronic composers for so long now it feels like I’ve worn holes in my knees. Embrace the Darkness was a fine opportunity to pay respects to some of my favourite composers and scores. Notable among these was Jerry Goldsmith’s score for Alien and the Barrons’ score for Forbidden Planet. These scores interested me for several reasons. In Alien Goldsmith used traditional instruments in really unusual ways (putting water in a trumpet for example) as well as using unusual instruments such as the Conch Shell. In Forbidden Planet I was fascinated by the sensation of fear and foreboding evoked by the Barrons’ randomly generated yet meticulously assembled electronic tonalities.

 

-Jim Mortimore on his composing process for Embrace the Darkness (2012)