The Dentist and The Dentist 2 had a unique path to the final film versions. I was contacted In the summer of 1996 by the films' director, Brian Yuzna. He told me that he was doing a film for Trimark about a psycho dentist and that, though the story was fairly simple, he was using strange camera angles and offbeat film techniques to make the movie different. Brian wanted music and sound design to be key factors in the film's concept; the music must tell the audience what state of mind the dentist is in (or out of) and, for example, the sound of the drill needed to work together with the score, integrating music and sound effects.

Using this guideline, I created a score that took its form directly from the visuals and the acting. Corbin Bernsen is The Dentist. This role, which he creates so fantastically, is underscored to every glance or facial expression. For the film and its sequel the director spent many sessions with me giving frame-accurate insight as to what the character was thinking moment by moment.

 

 

Brian suggested that I use operatic music as one of the motifs and  and gave me a number of opera CDs to listen to and consider. The one that became the vocal theme is Puccini's aria "Vissi d'arte e d'amor" from Act II of Tosca, This vocal/orchestral performance is from the master for a studio-recorded CD released in Europe, featuring soprano Daniela Dessi. I also had American soprano Diana Tash (the on-screen opera singer at the ending of The Dentist 1) perform the aria a cappella for me in my studio using her solo performance in both films for scoring and special effects.

There are many referential musical moments used both dramatically and for humor. Wagner, Herrmann, and Puccini are the principal ones; though I also utilized influences from my 1980's scoring mentor, John Carpenter. I performed everything on digital keyboards; the final mixes are here in this soundtrack collection and, though I used many of the same original themes In both films, I made sure that everything is represented in this sequence.