Zoo

The score for Zoo is reminiscent of Zbigniew Preisner’s scores for The Secret Garden and When A Man Loves A Woman. It has a light and delicate sound to it, which is enchanting in its style, construction and orchestration. The movie was produced in 1988, and no soundtrack has been released until now, although a few tracks from the score were made available on a Marco Werba collection released three years ago.

Werba is a very underrated and sadly underused composer of film music. Although few and far between, his scores are always a delight and Zoo is certainly no exception. The work is written in a classical style, full of romanticism, poignancy and rich in thematic properties. The central theme, which is heard throughout the score in various arrangements and guises, is particularly haunting and Werba’s use of strings, laced with harp, piano, harpsichord and the subtle use of wind instruments is at times enthralling and mesmerising. The CD also contains a vocal from the movie and a concert version of the theme from Zoo, which is performed by the orchestra of Mario Nascimbene.

The last release of Marco Werba’s music on this label was from a movie entitled Il Conti Melissa and although I found that score to be an exceptional one, the music that he has penned for Zoo is far superior. My advice to collectors would be to purchase this wonderful soundtrack before its too late, as Hexacord titles tend to sell fast. Presented and packaged nicely, with short but informative notes, this is an essential buy for anyone who is a discerning music lover. It is a score that will be returned to many times.
John Mansell
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