Mahler, Gu¿¿nad¿¿ttir, Elgar: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture T¿¿r in Bloomington, MN

Classical music has needed a bit of star power for a while now, and receiving it from
Cate Blanchett
in the 2022 film
Tar
is all to the good. The film is a psychological drama about the titular Lydia Tar, portrayed as the first female conductor of the
Berlin Philharmonic
. She is also a composer.
Tar (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)
will certainly serve viewers as a soundtrack album, but it is different enough from the usual such items that label
Deutsche Grammophon
bills it as a concept album related to the film rather than as a soundtrack. It does not match exactly what is heard in the film; of the music here by composer
Hildur Gudjnadottir
, most pieces do not actually appear. Instead, in the words of director
Todd Field
, "the tracks, like the film, are meant to invite the listener to experience the messiness involved in the making of music." The listener hears completed pieces, rehearsal segments, recording session excerpts, short comments from
Gudjnadottir
, and segments representing Tar's compositional process, including a field recording. There are four ensembles in all: the
Dresden Philharmonic
stands in for the
Berlin Phil
; the
London Contemporary Orchestra
plays the music by
New Trombone Collective
is heard in a popular song; and the
London Symphony Orchestra
, with new cellist
Sophie Kauer
, is heard in excerpts from a recording session for
Elgar
's
Cello Concert in E minor, Op. 85
. It is unlike anything else that has ever been attempted before; to a degree, the format is suggested by the musical content of the film, but
deserves credit for responding creatively to that suggestion. ~ James Manheim