Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Water Tower Records****

For his sequel to the box-office- boffing Sherlock Holmes,Hans Zimmer develops the themes and tropes of his original score and then some. His dynamic score mixes European folk music (klezmer and gypsy) and early 20th-century classical with elegant melodies, driving rhythms, brooding electronica and evocative instrumentation (piano, balaika, fiddle), and pushes all of them into a kind of gleeful para-(film)music that switches giddily between action and drama to both serious and comedic effect. From the tick- tocking, three-part Shadowscue and the myriad variations and improvisations of the main theme to the merry mash-ups of Schubert and Mozart, the score abounds with stylistic invention and visceral energy while also retaining a surprising lyrical power. See watertower-music. com

Download tracks: He's All Me Me Me, Chess (Shadows Part 3), The Mycroft Suite, The Red Book