David Arnold "Daniel And Sha'uri" ("Stargate" soundtrack) guitar cover

Sometimes, an average movie gets lucky and is blessed with a wonderful, inspired and outstanding soundtrack that takes the whole thing to a higher level where the movie wouldn't have reached in first place on its own terms.

Without giving it too much thinking, two examples can be "Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End" and Hans Zimmer's soaring, utterly beautiful work... and an old favourite of mine: "Stargate" and David Arnold's epic and absolutely wonderful score.

Ominous and dark when required, thunderous and bold in places, delicate and fragile, filled with tiny and yet meaningful details and hues at others, but always flooded with sheer emotion and sense of melody and wonder (as any proper adventure movie score should be!) "Stargate" is, overall, an exquisite musical work that gained back some space for symphonic movie scores among the Hollywood mainstream during the mid 90s, following the Master's (that is, John Williams) trailblazing career.

I can't speak high enough of this score: it's really important to me, has been with me for 25 years (since I first watched the movie), and I own up to 3 different editions of its CD release, including the well-deserved expanded edition released by La-La-Land Records in 2019.

I always wanted to be able to play some of my favourite parts by myself, and today I tried so with this gorgeous "Daniel And Sha'uri", which I always loved for its inspired take on the couple's first rendezvous behind closed doors (curtains, that is!).
Its sense of innocence, wonder and delicacy always floods me, and the bit where the music follows Daniel's fingers while he mimics a walking movement out of the pyramid he had carved in the sandy floor always makes me smile.

Despite of the piece being a quite intimate and delicate one, I had to play with distortion as some nuances wouldn't be heard playing through the clean channel, but I also believe that the extra energy input fits it!

Anyway, hope you enjoy it, lads and lassess, and make you give a go to such wonderful score!