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For Love of the Game (1999) reunited Kevin Costner with one of his most popular subjects—baseball—as he starred as an aging pitcher who throws a perfect game at Yankee Stadium while reflecting upon his long-term relationship. An unexpected choice of material for director Sam Raimi, the film was lauded for its depiction of the sport and its uplifting Americana score by Basil Poledouris.
By the late 1990s, Poledouris was renowned for his mastery of a film scoring genre that was, in a way, coming to its end: the romantic, orchestral depiction of masculinity. From barbarians to cyborg cops, cowboys to submariners, Poledouris found the beating heart of heroic male characters who upheld virtues of honor, loyalty and duty, while allowing themselves to be vulnerable to their loved ones.
Costner's Billy Chapel—pitching in his very last game—was an ideal protagonist, and Poledouris responded with a rich, warm, melodic score that goes from the grandeur and scope of America's national pastime, to the romantic yearning and intimacy of its very human hero. The score navigates a range of orchestral size—from fully symphonic to heartfelt solos—as well as genre, with pop and R&B brought in for contemporary emphasis.
For Love of the Game was released as 10-track, 33-minute CD from Varèse Sarabande at the time of the time. The program has been expanded to 35 tracks and over 78 minutes for this Deluxe Edition, with Daniel Schweiger's liner notes incorporating interview material from Raimi, Poledouris, and the composer's agent, Richard Kraft.
- Varese Sarabande
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