I don't like to overuse terms that are........overused. "Hidden gem" is not one I tend to use a lot, but if I was to label a soundtrack as a "hidden gem", this would be one.
The movie, Sa som i Himmelen or As It Is In Heaven was made on a small budget in Sweden. It is about a successful but, suffering music conductor who decides to return to his childhood home in Norrland Sweden. He finds a small, poorly constructed church choir and become their director ultimately inspiring all of the struggling choir members.
The soundtrack, upon it's release was an immediate hit; especially in Australia. (Don't ask me why!) Swedish composer, Stefan Nilsson, used several easily recognizable songs in his score. There are a couple of cues from Bach, and surprisingly enough; a couple of hymns. The first hymn, Amazing Grace is tenderly performed, and the harmonies are just beautiful. The second hymn is not as easy to recognize by the title. The cue, Harlig Ar Jorden is a Swedish performance of Fairest Lord Jesus. It's an amazing version of the hymn and, once again, the harmony is breathtaking.
One of the weaker points in the soundtrack is the pop song Fly With Me performed by Leyla Yilbar-Norgren. It is a stereotypical pop love song, and a bit boring. Initially, I understand that they may have included it to increase sales and appeal to a larger audience, but ultimately the song seems rather random and misplaced. Another disappointing factor is that the album is short on running time. That doesn't exactly help the score especially considering the cost it is going for at Amazon since it is an import. In other words, it's not cheap!
I'm not sure if it could be considered a score in that, there is little orchestral music and more "choir performance" type songs. Sa som i Himmelen is more of an eclectic collection of songs from the film with a couple of orchestral cues from the film. Would a soundtrack collector enjoy it? I did, and if you would like to take brief break from the ordinary scores, then definitely check it out!
Rating:****1/2
