Graeme Revell composed the musical score to the television miniseries “Frank Herbert’s Dune,” which was shown on the SciFi Channel during the 2000-2001 TV season. This epic program told an interplanetary tale of love, intrigue, war between noble houses, and the messianic hopes of a mysterious race.
Revell’s majestic score is the perfect complement to the vast, mythic canvas of “Dune.” His music contains passages that are mysterious, exciting, unnerving, and hauntingly beautiful.

The CD’s liner notes contain some interesting quotes from Revell. He notes, for example, that on this score he used instruments from Armenia, as well as from other Asian republics of the former Soviet Union. This use of ethnic instruments must account for the wonderfully exotic sound of much of the music. Those familiar with Revell’s superb score to the film “The Crow” will be aware of the composer’s skill at integrating ethnically diverse elements into his work.

There are too many excellent highlights on this CD to fully cover in the space of a short review. But some of the most memorable tracks are the “Main Theme,” which establishes the epic scope with power and elegance; the mystical “Dreamscape”; the frenzied, percussive “Up the Ladder / Battle”; “Fremen Village,” with its gentle, exotic flavor; and the haunting, emotional “Paul Chooses–Finale.”

One of my favorite film scores of all time is Toto’s score to an earlier cinematic incarnation of “Dune.” But Graeme Revell’s imagination and artistry allow his work to rise out of the shadow of that earlier score. Revell’s music to director John Harrison’s version of “Dune” is a true masterpiece that should be enjoyed by fans of film and television scoring.