Gloria Cheng’s Montage brings together the greats of film music

A number of years ago, pianist Gloria Cheng sought out a number of the most well-regarded film composers of today’s world and asked them to write piano music for themselves – the piano, she says, is the best instrument for revealing a composer’s true voice, and she wanted to see what makes them tick. With 72 Oscar nominations between them (and nine wins so far), the musical pedigree here is in no doubt and, in Montage, we are offered an album that is deeply personal and profoundly interesting, all realised with Cheng’s fantastic playing.

The CD opens with Five Pieces by Bruce Broughton (Silverado, Young Sherlock Holmes) – all five are short character pieces, each with their own distinct personality. They all revolve a set of variations (some sweet, some quite jazzy) on a catchy pentatonic theme. The five are richly various, but distinctly of the same family. As a listener familiar with Broughton through his Western themes, these pieces show a very different side to his musical ability, and they grow on me every time I listen.

Michael Giacchino presents New Jersey in the 1970s as a friendly place in a piece that evokes gentle nostalgia in much the same way his score from Up did

‘Composition 430’ is a reflection of a memory from the childhood of Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Ratatouille), finding his bike around the neighbourhood and the feeling of freedom it brought him. He presents New Jersey in the 1970s as a friendly place in a piece that evokes gentle nostalgia in much the same way his score from Up did. At six minutes, it is just the right length to sustain this mood, offering sentiment without becoming sentimental.

Don Davis (The Matrix trilogy) provides ‘Surface Tension,’ undoubtedly the most modern sounding piece on the CD. It is mathematical in nature, using a calculated formula as a starting point to shift tempo, dynamics and pitches until the piece disappears into nothingness. This avant-garde piece is very technically impressive, without a doubt, and Cheng plays it superbly but, aside from the slower and slower middle section, it did nothing for me as a listener.

Williams is being wistful, rather than writing the catchy theatrical themes he has become known for, but his music remains every bit as dramatic and idiosyncratic as his movie scores

‘L’Étreinte,’ the piece by Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shape of Water) is very Impressionist in its influences, containing subtle references to both Debussy and jazz. It unfolds delicately and sweeps you away as it does, almost dreamlike in its gentleness.

John Williams (Jaws, Star Wars) says he always wanted to write something for Gloria Cheng, but he kept getting distracted. Having knuckled down, he produced a series of imagined musical conversations between jazz greats. It demands listener attention, with much of it being quiet and meditative, but it rewards them with its depth. This is Williams being wistful, rather than writing the catchy theatrical themes he has become known for, but his music remains every bit as dramatic and idiosyncratic as his movie scores (plus, props to anyone who can write music that sounds improvised this well).

Newman composed a family album paying homage to his composer uncles Alfred, Lionel and Emil

After all of this music, Randy Newman’s (Toy Story, Monsters, Inc.) music seems quite old-fashioned by comparison, but it is also the most familiar feeling by a long shot. Newman composed a family album paying homage to his composer uncles Alfred, Lionel and Emil, and his music here is light and joyful (with an equal amount of fun to be derived from the piece titles – ‘Carmen Miranda: “How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You I’m Not Mexican!”’). Newman’s pieces are the closest to the voice we hear in his films (one that is simple, sweet and poignant), and I think they are the highlight of the CD.

Montage is an interesting album, one that allows us to peer into the souls of some of the most acclaimed musicians of our time, and it is as revealing as it is entertaining. Gloria Cheng brings these pieces to life and if you even have the slightest interest in piano music, this is a curio to seek.