Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
  A Triumphant Trek Score Reminiscent of the Glorious Star Trek Finale October 14, 2007
Wow, this score brings a tear to a Trekkie's eye. It's beautiful, futuristic, haunting and most of all thematic and bold. Cliff Eidelman has proven he can compose with the likes of Horner and Goldsmith by writing and conducting a score that breaches beyond the everyday into the further reaches of musical immortality. If you love this score as much as I do, you will also love Horner's "Wrath of Khan" and perhap even more so Goldsmith's "Star Trek, The Motion Picture" or "Insurrection."
If listening to true Star Trek music hits you buttons in just the right way, you will need to add this score to your collection, it really is worth it.
 "Star Trek" At Its Darkest July 14, 2004
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
People would kill if I said that I had never heard of Cliff Eidelman before "Star Trek VI-The Undiscovered Country". When I first heard he was going to be the composer for the final chapter of the "Star Trek" movies with the original cast, I somehow was uneasy about it, as uneasy as when I heard that James Horner had been chosen to be the composer for "Star Trek II-The Wrath Of Khan" back in 1982. However, it seems director Nicholas Meyer has good instincts for music.
The overture pays homage to Holst's "Mars" from his Planets concert. It starts dark and then, it goes on in crescendo until the orchestra bursts out and finishes with a bang -if you take my meaning for it.
The entire score is totally dark and thrilling. Tracks like 'Rura Penthe', 'Assassination', and 'Death Of Gorkon' are fine examples of it. On the other hand, we also have emotional moments like 'Clear All Moorings' -where the epic motif is first heard -, 'Dining With Ashes', and my favorite from this bunch, 'Sign Off'.
Unfortunately, I have to say that Cliff Eidelman is not as consistent with his action or epic music as James Horner was in "The Wrath Of Khan". Just as I explained in my review of "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery", Eidelman starts his action and then, falls into tranquility leaving you kinda interrupted, wanting for constant action. 'The Battle For Peace' starts nicely with dark motifs; later it segues into bombastic moments, but then it suddenly goes dark again, then into action again, and so forth. The end credits suite falls into that sin as well: the epic motif explodes when the credits start rolling but, suddenly, it goes down to a dramatic part leaving you wanting for more. It's annoying.
Despite all those flaws, the score for "Star Trek VI-The Undiscovered Country" succeeds in portraying the dark side of what Gene Roddenberry had always shown as an "optimistic" future, and I have to say that Cliff Eidelman is one of the people responsible for this.
Excellent score from a relative youngster March 14, 2004
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This score is not the equal of Goldsmith's masterwork for the original ST movie (few will ever be) or Horner's great work for "ST III" (better than his soundtrack for "ST II"), but it was an amazing effort for a 24-year-old and far, far better then Rosenman's dreadful (and inexplicably Oscar-nominated!) "ST IV." The terrific opening march sets the tone for what is easily the darkest of all ST scores. (And in response to the earlier poster who felt he ripped off Holst's "The Planets," director Nick Meyer asked him to make an opening that resembled "Mars, the Bringer of War," so don't knock him for doing so.) This soundtrack won't blow you away, but it is marvelous work for one so young and it still puzzles me that it didn't advance him to the big leagues like Horner's breakthrough effort for "ST II" did for him. Buy it!
MUSIC WORTHY OF A SENDOFF! December 3, 2003
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Cliff Eidelman's score for "Star Trek VI" is the perfect score to say goodbye to the best "Trek" crew ever! With the music, you'll remember how it felt when you realized that this would be the final time that you would see Kirk, Spock, McCoy and all the others together on screen for the last time! Stands right up there with Goldsmith and James Horner! Bravo, Mr. Eidelman! Grade: A+
 Terrible April 20, 2003
1 out of 32 found this review helpful
This music is awful. The almost literal quotes from Holst in the Overture are wretched.How anyone can compare this to Goldsmith, Bernstein, et al is beyond comprehension. Tripe.
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