DELTA FORCE 2 (2CD)

Greatly expanded original soundtrack from action-packed Chuck Norris sequel! Younger brother Aaron Norris directs, Lee Reynolds scripts, Chuck leads with able support from John P. Ryan, Paul Perri, Richard Jaeckel, Billy Drago, Cannon Films presents. South American drug cartels are the targets of Norris and team with murder, corruption and vengeance in tow. Frederic Talgorn approached the violent tale with an interesting twist: Electronics and percussion color the suspense, locale and grim elements while full-blooded symphony orchestra plays for the heroics, adding muscle to key sequences. Budgetary needs made the trade between orchestra and synthesizers a necessity but Talgorn made the most of both ensembles. Strings in tragic, minor-key mode bring pain to “Bobby Finds Dead Family”, rousing orchestral dazzle dazzle plays for energetic training sequences (“The Bear Pit”, “Training Montage”), strings alone with emphasis on extreme registers offer intensity to “Hector And Bobby Die”, orchestra and electronics meld for soaring launch to “Chuck Parachutes In”. Action highlight: ten minute “The Chase”, with riveting synthesizers propelling the music into and out of the deadly high-speed action scene. Hang on! Yet another element of Talgorn’s score is the exotic color of ethnic flute over percussion and synths spotlighting the mountain and jungle backdrops, particularly a perilous cliff-climbing sequence. Talgorn leads with a heroic fanfare-theme in bright major keys, using it judiciously until the Delta Force tackle the enemy in climactic combat. Highlighting this layer of the music is the second portion of the lengthy “Stranglehold Is A Go”. Three years after the film opened, a 39-minute soundtrack was released, produced by the composer in two lengthy suites, one of just orchestra highlights, the other of electronic sequences, plus the closing song written by Talgorn with Harriet Schock. To present the entire 76-minute score on CD 1, Intrada went back to the original Dolby SR-encoded two track mix masters made by engineer Doug Botnick (brother of legendary scoring mixer Bruce Botnick). CD 2 offers the 1993 program as edited and produced by the composer. All master elements were vaulted by MGM in pristine condition. Informative notes by Daniel Schweiger, colorful flipper booklet cover design by Kay Marshall. Orchestral score recorded in Paris, France. Frederic Talgorn conducts Orchestre Symphonique D’Europe. Intrada Special Collection 2-CD set available while quantities and interest remain!