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Amazon.co.uk Review
One of his finest scores, Patrick Doyle's music for Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996) combines the introspective sensibilities of his work on A Little Princess and Sense and Sensibility (both 1995) with the romanticism of Much Ado About Nothing (1993). His finest theme since "Non Nobis Domine" (from his score for Branagh's Henry V, available on EMI), Doyle's "In Pace" is a haunting, versatile offering for the troubled title character. Alternately heroic ("Give me your pardon, sir") and broodingly tense ("To be or not to be"), the theme never loses sight of Hamlet's continuing search for peace. The best variations are found in "What a piece of work is a man" and "I loved you once." A song version of "In Pace," performed by Plácido Domingo over the end credits, displays the wide-ranging properties of the melody, moving from a bottom D to a top B-flat. A childlike theme for the tragic Ophelia (Kate Winslet) is particularly effective when heard in conjunction with Hamlet's material ("If once a widow"). Elsewhere, Claudius is represented by canonical devices with modern, tormented harmonies ("Now could I drink hot blood"). Doyle's score is rare in its assumption that the prince was a congenial man until becoming overwhelmed by the sheer weight of the play's events. Because of this unique perspective, Hamlet represents a unique chapter in the ever-expanding canon of Shakespearean film music. --Kevin Mulhall
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
14 reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Patrick Doyle's finest score
26 Jun 2000
Format:Audio CD
This is certainly one of my top 3 Patrick Doyle scores and a towering achievement. The score unfolds like a great romantic symphony encompassing several moods from serenity and inner peace ("In Pace"), to violence and lush gothic undertones ("The Ghost", "Now, could I drink hot blood"), and a finaly sense of joyous celebration ("Fanfare", "What Players are they?"). After listening constantly to Mr. Doyle's scores for "Henry V", "Much ado about nothing" and "Frankenstein", I thought he could never top such achievements and somehow he did: "Hamlet" is a masterpiece of thematic inventiveness and dramatic power. The playing is wonderful and the engineering is very clear, taking full advantage of Air Lyndhurst's glorious acoustics. If you are a fan of british classical music or a Shakespeare fan (or even better, a fan of Patrick Doyle), don't pass up this CD. Great film music. No: great music. Period!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
A wonderful score
17 Nov 1999
Format:Audio CD
Although not as viscerally powerful as his Henry V score, Hamlet is, appropriately, much more meditative and introspective, making the extroverted sections (Fanfare, the Ghost, My Thoughts be Bloody, etc) that much more impressive. The only weakness I feel is the constant use of only two or three main themes with very little variation in their orchestration. However, that is a tiny quibble with an otherwise masterly score. Doyle's use of 20th century sounds (some atonal canonic writing and Stravinksyesque rhythms) gives this score just the right edge to balance the lush Romanticism of the main themes.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
I think this is Doyle's best
24 Jun 2008
Format:Audio CD
"In Pace", sung by the most artful singer in the world, Placido Domingo, justifies the purchase of this recording. It's operatic and he's an opera singer but... "In Pace" doesn't sound "opera"; it sounds noble and romantic. I love film music and must own over six hundred score recordings. Of those, there are three or four which I regularly and wholeheartedly recommend to my friends and acquaintances who are classical musicians. Doyle's HAMLET is one of them.
There's a LOT of music on this disc - 76:25! - and it's a journey through many moods: reflections of introspective quietude and expressions of pride, tender love, confusion and anger not least among them. It's orchestral, of course, but much of it is almost chamber and intimate. Favorite tracks? All those which include the "In Pace" melody and the thrillingly ominous "Oh, Here They Come".
There's a LOT of music on this disc - 76:25! - and it's a journey through many moods: reflections of introspective quietude and expressions of pride, tender love, confusion and anger not least among them. It's orchestral, of course, but much of it is almost chamber and intimate. Favorite tracks? All those which include the "In Pace" melody and the thrillingly ominous "Oh, Here They Come".
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