Review: “Da Vinci’s Demons” Collector’s Edition Soundtrack

by Mary Anne Butler, Reporter/Photographer

Da Vinci.  Goyer.  McCreary.  What do these names have in common?  Well, as of this year, two Emmy wins and a score (ha, see what I did there) of critical acclaim for Da Vinci’s Demons.  The Starz Network’s official description of the show is:   (I always have to read this first line out loud in a movie announcer voice)  “In a world where thought and faith are controlled, one man fights to set knowledge free.”

The show (billed as a ‘historic fantasy’) centers around the title character, Leonardo Da Vinci, arguably one of the greatest creative minds the world has ever known.  The first season (as the second doesn’t start til sometime in 2014) deals largely with Leo’s search to find the clandestine cult The Sons of Mithras, the identity of his mother, and the relationship with his patron Lorenzo de Medici.  Da Vinci is presented as a mashup of Sherlock Holmes-Nikola Tesla-Batman-James Dean type; solving crimes, inventing cool stuff, all with an alternative haircut and badass leather jacket while running around with a ragtag group of companions.

On a personal note, I do Renaissance Faires.  Specifically, the group I perform with portrays the Florentine Embassy along the time period of Lorenzo and his family.  There is a lot of history there, Lorenzo was called “Il Magfinico”, and was pretty much the Chuck Norris of Italy.  His dynasty was epic, and one of his ongoing legacies was his patronage of one Leonardo Da Vinci.  From the get-go, I knew this was going to be a series I would watch.  Ranging from enjoyment to exasperation, (TELL ME ABOUT THE FRAKKING PEACOCKS, GOYER) I found myself drawn to the show repeatedly. Part of this, I will admit, comes from the score.

Most of you know (now EMMY WINNING) composer Bear McCreary from Battlestar Galactica, Human Target, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Walking Dead, Defiance, Europa Report, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  (I could go on and on, because really, this guy DOES EVERYTHING), but there is certainly a sci-fi genre departure with Demons. I highly suggest reading through McCreary’s blog entries on his website (www.bearmccreary.com) for the full understanding of the passion and thought that went into creating the sound of Florence.

What I have currently cued up on my laptop is this double (2) disc special edition collector’s release of the original television soundtrack from Sparks & Shadows.  What does that mean?  How is that different from the previous release of the album?  The short answer is 12 unreleased tracks from the series.

(The special double album can be purchased here through Bear’s label, Sparks & Shadows:   http://www.amazon.com/Original-Television-Soundtrack-Collectors-Edition/dp/B00FM4PUA4/ref=aag_m_pw_dp?ie=UTF8&m=AEELGIS5SVBV4)

Let’s start with the EMMY WINNING “Da Vinci’s Demons Main Title”.   Bear writes:  “Leonardo’s Theme is a palindrome, inspired by the mirror writing (writing backwards and forwards) that he is famous for.  In music, this technique is an established trick called ‘retrograde.’    The theme is the same when played forwards or backwards.  The melodic symmetry is visible, even at a glance.”

And I mean how often does a show creator MAKE THE MAIN SEQUENCE LONGER just to feature the title song?  David S. Goyer did, further playing into my theory of the  EPIC bromance.  (Seriously, read the liner notes and watch the interviews with the two guys, AND/OR the videos between the two posted via the media team on twitter from NYCC 2013.)

As a budding audiophile, to me, it almost sounds as if this particular song was remastered for release.  But then I was reminded that this was an actual physical album, and the tracks are uncompressed, lending to a warmer FULLER sound.  And also explaining why my CD collection is growing again. Another ‘special’ thing about this double disc set is the way in which the tracks are presented.  In order by episode, the layout allows the listener to follow the progression of the season melodically.  I will mention the constant themes of the season seem to be sorrow-to-intrigue-to-danger-to-peril.  Toss in probably the most hauntingly beautiful love theme McCreary  has done to date, and you’ve got the hallmarks of season one.

From “The Hanged Man” (episode 1 of season 1) we get the first ‘new’ track, “The Falcon”.  There is an underlying sadness, a slight melancholy.  The strings in a building  tension take you to a more menacing swell before suddenly fading.  “House Of Medici” also features the asterisk, denoting it as one of the previously unreleased songs.  (History lesson:  The Medici coat of arms features collored balls or “palles”.  The battlecry of the private army of the Medici mercenaries, the Bandenere, was “Palle Palle Palle”.  McCreary researched some of the historical cadences used by Lorenzo and the Bandenere, and used them in the show.)  You will hear hints of upcoming character themes throughout this song.

Episode 2 gives us one of the few period pieces of the season, both in feel and instrumentation.  Further research into the working relationship between the show creator and composer yielded a discussion about wanting the show to move as far away from the ‘historical’ and more into the contemporary.  But thankfully, a middle ground was reached (partially by writing contemporary pieces for period instruments) and we ended up with the VERY Renaissance “Vilana Che Sa Tu Far”.

I’m going to skip to episode 5 (“The Tower”), because really, I could sit and go through every single song.  These three new tracks are probably my favorite out of the unreleased material, and you REALLY want me to talk about “Phosphorous Batshit Bombs”.  There is a series of moments in the show that lend to the angle that Da Vinci was the enlightenment’s Batman; such moments as OH LOOK, I AM STUCK IN A DARK CAVE AND A BAT CAME FLAPPING TOWARDS ME TO INSPIRE MY NEXT MOVE and also the Pig Fucker Bat Signal over Florence.  Yup, you read that right, Pig Fucker Bat Signal.  “Camera Obscura”, oh how I love your lighthearted dark carnival-esk flourishes.  “Acquittal” is a very cinematic summation of the character themes as we hear tones of the three big L’s (Leo, Lorenzo, Lucrezia), The Magician, and The Turk melded with a subtle flow of excitement which thrusts the story forward.

“Flesh of the Abyssinian” from episode 6 (“The Devil”) is the last of the ‘new’ tracks.  If you haven’t actually watched the show, I will tell you this particular episode Leo meets Vlad The Impaler.  You know, that one guy who lives in a big scary castle and communes with “creatures of the night”.  No, wait, that’s Batman again.  I’m talking about Dracula.  This is acually one of those historical POSSIBILITIES, these two big names meeting.  There was an overlap of time where such an assemblage would have been possible for them.  Without further spoilers, there is a failure on the part of our hero within this installment, and his frustrations ostend.   Even the quell of the harp hidden in the layers of “Flesh” do not mask the bitter disappointment.

The remaining tracks I feel need to be addressed are “Lucrezia Donati” and “The Lullaby”.  If music doesn’t make me have one of three reactions (fight, fuck, or cry), I won’t chose to play to it again.  I wasn’t expecting to have a “love” theme of a questionable (albeit tragically twisted) Courtesan be the one that smacked me over the head and said HEY, YOU LOVE THIS SONG.  First hearing “Lucrezia”, my initial response was “wow, this might be the most heartbreakingly bewitching thing that McCreedy guy has ever written.”  It is pure and lovely at it’s inaugural pass through one minute, and begins with the painful beginning of longing you learn to associate with her.  (I will also say the first time I heard it was in the pilot episode, and the particular scene greatly influenced the way I hear it now.)  The sweet melody builds to a mini peak, almost akin to a soft focus shot we know symbolizes the apical mushy moment in visual romance.  My favorite part is the use of pause between the phrases, like when you forget to breathe after a surreal encounter.  The end leaves you with the hushed promise of experiences yet to come, and the stupid realization of stolen seasons.  (Seriously though, watch the show, you’ll understand.)  “The Lullaby” continues the further down the sorrow route, bringing in humming to further create  confusion between turmoil and release.

Rarely does a TELEVISION score tell as complete a story as the show it’s self, but I truly think Demons does.  If you enjoy music that transports you to another time (and good driving music), pick up a copy of the expanded soundtrack.  I’m looking forward to how season 2 (JOURNEY TO SOUTH AMERICA: LEO MEETS THE INCA) follows up.