Altered States
Reviewed by Josh Gizelt
January 02, 2007

Ken Russell's phantasmagorical adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky's novel is an interesting, if flawed, piece of cinema. In choosing a composer for the film, Russell says in the brief liner notes that he wanted to avoid a conventional score, and that he settled on Corigliano after having heard one of his concert works. The result is a score that is certainly not conventional, perhaps not even easily accessible, but it is fascinating music and is one of the most effective aspects of the film.

Professor Jessup (William Hurt) experiments with altered states of conciousness along with sensory deprivation. The result is that he begins 'de-volving' further and further towards a primordial state. His only connection to reality is his partner Emily (Blair Brown), and so musically there is a very pretty, albeit harmonically modern love theme that serves as an anchor for the score.

And it does need an anchor. As Jessup recedes further and further into his evolutionary past, the score becomes more and more 'primitive' sounding, at times creating sequences that are nothing short of brutal. Corigliano also takes Jessup's issues with religion and presents perverted organ chorales as well. Corigliano and orchestrator John David Earnest experiment heavily with the sounds that can be produced by the orchestra, and this is one of the few scores where, upon the first hearing, one has no idea where it is going to go next.

This is not a score for easy listening. Quite to the contrary, it makes serious demands upon the listener. However, as with most of Corigliano's work, it does reward the effort. The music for this film is unique, partly because of the subject matter, but also because of how Corigliano's skill at balancing intellectual material with emotional content.

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