Elmer Bernstein's score for
Hawaii was picked up in the late 1990s for reissue by the German Tsunami label, in what appears to be a quasi-legitimate CD reissue. The score was one of his less successful on a commercial level, possibly owing to
Bernstein's effort at delving into "ethnic music" with native Hawaiian instruments. The main title shows his usual lyricism, and when he sticks to orchestral writing he can be downright inspired -- parts of this score evoke images of
Respighi's music. But overall it's an uneven representation of the movie's music.