Based on the true story of two Polish brothers who escaped Communist Poland in 1985 for Sweden , Michael Lorenc's score for this 1989 dramatization offers an intriguing combination of orchestral and synth elements that have aged quite well in the intervening years.

The integration and shift from all-synth to chamber orchestra can be jarring – mostly because early synth instruments produced very distinct sounds and had sometimes severe limitations in mimicking orchestral instruments – but Lorenc seemed to have recognized what colours from specific synth emulations could add to his score, producing effective moments of tenderness, fear, and contemplation.

The pensive “Prom,” for example, is a standard drone with chordal waves repeating a loose ripple pattern, whereas the intro theme – integrating orchestra and string synths – sets up a 5-note prelude frequently quoted in the album's first half. Lorenc colours the prelude with a single note that arches and falls to the side, like a harmonic lance which establishes a peculiar combination of despair, and perhaps symbolizes an urgency the boys feel to act fast and keep moving towards their goal of freedom.

That sensibility is furthered in two beautiful acoustic guitar pieces – “Wieczór,” which combines dual guitars with synth voices and strings – and a propulsive version, “Ucieczka,” where Lorenc repeats the short theme in a tightly-knotted waltz tempo.

The energy of “Ucieczka” is contrasted by sometimes short tonal cues like “Brama promu,” which evoke a sense of exoticism by arcing specific harmonics. The score's prelude also reappears in a lovely Renaissance variation, “TIR,” with harp and synth chorales, though the whale-like effect becomes a bit heavy handed in spite of more discreet fluttering in the background. In “Zima w Danii,” Lorenc drops the whale sound, and lets the harp dominate, perhaps to signal the boys are no longer affected by the despair which urged them to flee their homeland.

Cue lengths vary, but the album offers an excellent variety of material that's capped by the lengthy “Nie wracajcie tu nigdy,” which combines subtle synth vocals with gentle improvisations on acoustic guitar.

© 2007 Mark R. Hasan