Music

1999 A Map of the World

Label: Warner Bros.

Musicians: Pat Metheny and orchestra

“Pat Metheny is a 1 musical poet. His score to Jane Hamilton’s “A Map of the World” does something remarkable – it conjures up not just the feeling and atmosphere of the book; it actually seems to address the central meaning and essence of forgiveness that makes this story one of the modern miracles of literature. As someone who has loved this book since it was released in the mid-90’s, I was concerned when I heard that they were making a movie of it. I saw the movie the other night, and it is excellent. But the highlight of the film – and a major component of it’s success is this hauntingly beautiful, truly deep music. Although there are comparisons to be made with Metheny’s “Beyond the Missouri Sky,” this music is far more substantial. There are several musical themes, especially the title theme melody, which appear regularly throughout this suite, that are some of Metheny’s absolute best ballads. The harmonic ambiguity of the first piece on the record (you really cannot tell what key it is finally going to land in, it keeps modulating so much) sets EXACTLY the right tone for the protagonist’s (Alice Goodwin) mental state. And the basic sound Metheny is getting here out of his acoustic guitars is simply breathtaking - this man has the best touch of any acoustic guitarist in the world right now.” —Amazon.com