The Storyteller Soundtrack- Retro Soundtrack Review

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.

The Storyteller Soundtrack

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

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The Storyteller: Greek Myths- Series Review

I remember it well, Jim Henson's The Storyteller aired in the evening on Channel 4 and scared the bejeezus out of 7 year old me. The year was 1987 and the show had been heavily advertised for a few months so the anticipation had been building. When finally the show aired it became an instant classic in my mind, the stuff of wonderful nightmares. The show presented nine lesser known northern European fairytale with a a mixture of live acting, animatronics, muppetry and surreally stylish imagery. With excellent production values, marvellous special effects and stunning matte paintings the various fantasy settings all came to life and drew me in.

John Hurt played the role of the eponymous Storyteller, and next to a hearth he would tell a story with relish, accompanied by his muppety canine companion. There would be occasional interludes where the Storyteller would elaborate or expand upon a point and his verbosity and wordplay would be like music to my young ears, even if a lot of his wordplay went over my head. Even after 30 years, The Storyteller fills my heart with warmth and joy, and a little bit of a chill, but in a good way.

So, what is less well known is that there was a shorter follow up series in 1991 created by Anthony Minghella (of The English Patient fame) which looked at the Greek myths. The 4 part series swapped out Hurt and instead placed Michael Gambon into the eponymous role. He is ably supported by seasoned theatre performers such as Derek Jacobi and Art Malik and this gives the show added gravitas. With the wonderfully emotive music the show really does shine with that early 90s glow. The soft focus and fuzzy recording make the show seem like a wondrous dream and even now fill my heart with warmth.

The 4 episodes include:

Daedalus and Icarus- the classic tale of the inventor who's son reached too close to the sun is ably retold and expanded to include what happened after the death of the progeny. It is deliciously dark and arresting and Jacobi gives it his all in the title role.

Orpheus and Euridyce- the tale of a man whose music moves a wood nymph to the world of man. After getting married the nature of the wood nymph reveals itself and she dies after being bitten by a snake. Orpheus challenges the Gods to bring Euridyce back from the underworld but just as he is about to succeed a twist prevents her return. Malik is solid in the main role but the music is the real star, being equal parts joyful and mournful. I really enjoyed this episode, especially and production values of Hades.

Theseus and the Minotaur- The classic tale of man versus beast. The minotaur is well designed and the maze is suitably creepy in this well directed retelling.

Perseus and the Gorgon- The best visually arresting and special effect heavy story is saved for last. We get the tale of a hero fighting the monstrous lady who turns anyone who witnesses her visage to stone. The special effects on Medusa are amazing for the time and production costa.

The Greek tales presented are quite mature and darker in essence than much of the sanitised, Disney-fied versions out there. I would recommend it for ages 7 and above as many of the themes touched upon are to do with the human condition and the tales are, in large part, part of the European monomyth but they do cast a wondrous spell. The love, care and attention of the production comes through on the screen and even though some of the special effects have aged, this ethereal other-worldliness leaves the show an almost timeless quality. The show is well worth the short time investment and will leave its glow long after you've stopped watching.

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Little Nightmares- Video Games As Art

I recently completed the darkly beautiful Little Nightmares, a puzzle- platformer game with horror elements. The game was developed by Tarsier Studios and casts you as a young girl, called Six, who is trapped in The Maw – a mysterious vessel which caters to the depraved needs of sick and powerful creatures. As you make your way through the ship you come across various grotesque creatures, the designs of which will remain in your consciousness long after you finish the game. It reminds me of various shows including Jim Henson's The Storyteller, the work of the Bolex Brothers and the unsettling creatures created by stop-motion supremo Jan Svankmajer.

The art style is grotesque and even though there are horrific scenarios the imagery it creates is beautiful.