Track 1: The Tale of Viktor Navorski -- A sprightly theme played primarily by a clarinetist. It's vaguely European, whimsical, and just hefty enough to immediately become one of Williams's best-ever main themes. Viktor's theme is very prominent across the entire CD, but it never gets old or tiresome.

Track 2: Dinner with Amelia -- This is a long track that begins with some lovely Sabrina-esque accordion music, and then goes into more traditionally symphonic areas before returning to the accordion themes again. This is certainly one of the most romantic pieces Williams has ever written, and is as good as Viktor's theme.

Track 7: Jazz Autographs -- As the title implies, this is a jazzy number, in the mode of cool (i.e., slow) jazz, with some excellent work by a pianist and a bass player.

Track 9: Krakhozia National Anthem and Homesickness -- Williams actually composed a national anthem for the invented European nation Viktor hails from, and it's totally believable, sounding at the same time like every other national anthem you've ever heard AND different enough to have its own identity. A masterful piece of composition.

Those are just the high points. The CD is around an hour long, and it's all very listenable. If the movie is as good, then we are in for a treat.


He Only Gets Better   June 27, 2004
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

John Williams is in the prime of his compositional life. His scores are more richly melodic, more sophisticated and more resourceful than they've ever been. He's writing with such maturity and such a clean, seemingly effortless understanding of both the text and the sub-text of a scene. THE TERMINAL score is another fine example. Grandly romantic while intimate, evocative of the Mancini scores of the 60s, Williams' music for THE TERMINAL is sensitive, sophisticated, and warm. "Buckbeak's Flight" in the 'Azkaban' score is rightly restrained, somehow denying Harry the triumph he should otherwise be entitled to. And what a brilliant choice -- acknowledging Harry's tragic inner life at a moment that should be uncluttered and fun. Maybe it's easy for some to say that we've seen the best of John Williams. I think they're wrong. We're in a new golden age.


A New Williams Classic   June 16, 2004
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

In the liner notes of the album, Spielberg describes this score as the perfect "feel good" John Williams album and he is absolutely right. A terrific mixture of fun comedic music and romantic jazz. Fans of the clarinet will not be dissapointed with Victor's theme. It always amazes me how John Williams can write the most sophisticated themes and make them memorable. Somehow he has managed to combine two worlds together, the music of Victor's country with a classic American jazz twist. This album blows "Catch Me If You Can" out of the water and I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie now after hearing this score. John Williams fans, you are in for a treat...


Interesting and entertaining score   August 7, 2004
C. Cole (Allentown, PA USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I think that the score for this movie once again just goes to prove the great diversity of music which John Williams can write. There really is no dark music in this album. The Viktor Navorski theme is wonderfully eastern European, and the "love" theme is a very heartfelt theme. Some jazz influences are evident as well in the scoring. In addition, this is an album, unlike some, that can be listened to and enjoyed independently of the movie. Fits in great with the movie, but also a great album on its own. OK, so it's not one of John Williams's big brassy exciting adventure scores, but it is still very good music all the same. I really enjoyed it.


John Williams At His Quirkiest   August 25, 2004
Erik North (San Gabriel, CA USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Known for movie scores that are often big, bold, and exciting, John Williams can also be quirky in his compositions as well. So it goes with his score for Spielberg's most recent film THE TERMINAL, a movie that puts a native (Tom Hanks) of the fictional East European nation of Krakozhia at the mercy of Homeland Security bureaucracy at JFK Airport in New York when his country undergoes a coup, and also gives him cause to warm up to a loopy flight attendant (Catherine Zeta Jones).

Using a quirky Bohemian main theme, Williams gives us a glimpse at Hanks' character Viktor Navorski as he becomes a stranger in a strange land. He then switches to a jazz-influenced romantic motif for the scenes of the relationship that develops between Hanks and Zeta-Jones in the uncompleted terminal area of JFK that Hanks has set up for himself. The humorous aspects of the rest of the score underline the elements of social miscues and culture shock that Hanks undergoes.

All in all, this ranks as possibly the quirkiest score in the Williams film music oeuvure, and well worth getting.