Jim Henson’s The Storyteller soundtrack is something of a special treat. Only 1500 copies were made and pretty much sold out instantly, fetching high prices on auction sites. I managed to grab a copy of the soundtrack through a friend and love it.
Over the course of nearly 3 hours and 3 discs, you are transported away to fantastical realms with a rich orchestral score composed by Rachel Portman, who also composed Chocolat and Ciderhouse Rules and many other films. What's extraordinary is that the show was granted a 28-piece orchestra to produce such vibrant scores and they stand the test of time. The only comparable soundtrack from the time that comes to mind is The Secret Garden movie soundtrack by Zbigniew Preisner, which is also all strings and majesty (and one of my favourite soundtracks of all time).
Generally there are 2 tracks from each episode of the show and each story has two suites, each roughly 4-6 minutes long. The score is warm and impressive sounding as the leitmotif are usually played on woodwind instruments which helps create the mood required, flutes for more powerfully emotive pieces with oboes for more melancholy tracks, although this is not always the case.
The tracklist on The Storyteller soundtrack is pretty comprehensive:
Main Title (Extended Version)
Hans My Hedgehog (Suite A)
Hans My Hedgehog (Suite A
A Story Short (Suite A)
A Story Short (Suite B)
Fearnot (Suite A)
Fearnot (Suite B)
The Luck Child (Suite A)
The Luck Child (Suite B)
The Heartless Giant (Suite A)
The Heartless Giant (Suite B)
End Title
Main Title with Narration (featuring John Hurt)
The Soldier and Death: (Suite A)
The Soldier and Death: (Suite B)
The True Bride: (Suite A)
The True Bride: (Suite B)
The Three Ravens: (Suite A)
The Three Ravens: (Suite B)
Sapsorrow: (Suite A)
Sapsorrow: (Suite B)
Main Title (Short Version)
Unused Bumper A
Unused Bumper B
The Storyteller: Greek Myths Main Titles (UK Version)
Theseus & The Minotaur (Suite A)
Theseus & The Minotaur (Suite B)
Perseus & The Gorgon (Suite A)
Perseus & The Gorgon: (Suite B)
Daedalus & Icarus (Suite A)
Daedalus & Icarus (Suite B)
Orpheus & Eurydice (Suite A)
Orpheus & Eurydice (Suite B)
Main Titles (US Version)
Theseus Bonus (Material Suite)
Orpheus Bonus (Material Suite)
I haven’t seen ‘Jim Henson’s The Storyteller’ for a while but there is always a strong memory for the 1987-89 13 episodes that made up its two seasons. Even without that nostalgia, the test of any CD soundtrack is whether the music can stand on its own and, as soon as you hear Portman’s rich music, it’s clearly strong enough as it is evocative, rich and emotional. I only caught up with the The Storyteller: Greek Myths recently and loved it as it shared many of the same qualities as the OG The Storyteller, including a stunning soundtrack.
There are a couple of standout tracks for me:
The main titles theme is distinctly playful and we have the orchestral and John Hurt narrated versions here.
The Hans My Hedgehog Suites are beautiful as the flute combines with the a harp and other stringed instruments to create a yearning, soulful motif.
The Fearnot Suites have the mellow warmth of woodwind instruments combined with the playfulness of strings. It has an Irish influencing tinge.
The most eerie suite is from the Orpheus and Eurydice as it captures the sadness of an artist losing his muse.
The Storyteller is a stunning show with a beuatiful soundtrack that deserves to be heard. It is fetching a pretty price on auction sites but, if you do get a chance to listen to the soundtrack, it is worth the price of admission for this singular auditory experience.
LINK- The Storyteller- Series Review
LINK- The Storyteller: Greek Myths- Series Review
LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review
LINK- The Secret Garden (BBC)- Cult TV Review
LINK- Children of the Stones- Cult TV Review
LINK- The Dead of Night (BBC)- Cult TV Review
LINK- The Stone Tapes (BBC)- Cult TV Review
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LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review
LINK- Streets of Rage 2 OST on Vinyl Review
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East