Track Listing

1. Dawn - Jean-Yves Thibaudet
2. Stars and Butterflies
3. Living Sculptures of Pemberly
4. Meryton Townhall - English Chamber Orchestra
5. Militia Marches In - English Chamber Orchestra
6. Georgiana
7. Arrival at Netherfield
8. Postcard to Henry Purcell - English Chamber Orchestra
9. Liz on Top of the World
10. Leaving Netherfield
11. Another Dance - English Chamber Orchestra
12. Secret Life of Daydreams
13. Darcy's Letter
14. Can't Slow Down - English Chamber Orchestra
15. Your Hands Are Cold
16. Mrs. Darcy
17. Credits

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #918 in Music
• Released on: 2005-11-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
The year 2005 was big for Italian composer Dario Marianelli. His score for The Brothers Grimm received much applause (probably more than the film itself) and a few months later he came back with another batch of compositions for a period film. This time around, the plaudits are reversed: The film is better than the score. And that's not the only reversal: Since several of his compositions were to be performed by some of the characters on screen, Marianelli wrote parts of the music before the movie was shot, switching the order in which these things are usually done. The onscreen pieces are for solo piano, and Marianelli got a huge leg up by having them played by famed classical performer Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Marianelli was instructed by director Joe Wright to think along the lines of Beethoven (tall order!) but unlike The Brothers Grimm, which cleverly mixed and matched its classical influences, Pride & Prejudice fails to acquire a personality of its own. A few tracks, such as "Arrival at Netherfield," even border on George Winston territory. The intervention of the English Chamber Orchestra usually helps, but overall the score's palette sticks too much to a monochromatic beige. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Excellent score that evokes the film's spirit well!
Although I initially expected a much stronger score for the new "Pride & Prejudice", and was a bit surprised by the softer side it seems to take, I do really like the score. Having bought the soundtrack from Amazon UK over a month ago, and having seen two screenings of the new "Pride & Prejudice" film in the last two weeks, I can rightfully say that the music really flows well with the film, and never overpowers it. It circles, entwines, prods, calms and flows: always appropriate and always divine.

The beautiful tracks like "Meryton Townhall" or "Another Dance" where they dance a lively tune, or the aptly named "Militia Marches In" with a nice military feel..."The Secret Life of Daydreams" is beautiful: the wonderfully haunting "Your Hands Are Cold," and "Mrs. Darcy" has a nice build and feel...for those of you who do English Country Dance/Regency Dance like me, you find yourself looking for the tune for "Mr. Beveridge's Maggot" (which is what Elizabeth & Darcy dance to in the 1995 version), instead you will find "A Postcard to Henry Purcell", which is haunting, mellow & beautiful in its own right.

My favorite tracks, "Liz on Top of the World," builds to a more strong tone, and has a gorgeous feel and "Your Hands Are Cold" is both strong and soft, loving and harsh, and is I feel, the best track in the film: the imagery in the film that goes along with it is beautiful, and complements each other well. All in all, a highly recommended score to go along with a highly recommended film!

Superb, but where is the rest of it?
I have not a single complaint about this soundtrack, save for the fact that much of the festive ball music is missing. Upon much research, I've discovered that many of them were authentic English Country dance tunes that can probably be found online or off another CD. For those interested, here's a listing:

1. Black Bess - Jane and Mr. Bingley's first dance at the Meryton Townhall and when Elizabeth asks Mr. Darcy if he dances ("Not if I can help it")

2. The Young Widow - Major ensemble dance at the Meryton Townhall while Mr. Darcy and Caroline Bingley stood watching. Included is when Charlotte was dancing with Mr. Bingley and when Mr. Darcy watched Elizabeth.

3. Wakefield Hunt - After Elizabeth tells Mr. Darcy that the way to encourage affection is through dancing, and she turns and walks away.

4. Duke of Gloucester's March - The arrival at the Netherfield ball when Elizabeth is walking through the house looking for Mr. Wickham.

5. The Bishop - Elizabeth's dance with Mr. Collins at the Netherfield ball.

Hope this helps anyone interested in the festive numbers, aside from these missing pieces, the score included on this soundtrack could not be any better!

"There are few people in England have more true enjoyment of music than myself."
Just as the new film of "Pride and Prejudice" stands in stark contrast to all previous adaptations, so does its score break away from the mold of all previous Austen-adaptation scores. Oh, yes, there's the familiar trilling piano we've grown to expect, but this score is more along the lines of a Merchant-Ivory film; aching, moody, and transcendent.

Written by Dario Marianelli and performed by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, the brief score only clocks in at forty-two minutes and twenty-two seconds, but that is plenty of time for some great music. From haunting violin work ("A Postcard from Henry Purcell") to the beautiful theme for Lizzy herself ("Liz on Top of the World"), the music is rich and varied. "Arrival at Netherfield" has a jittery sense of excitement, and all the tracks composed for the dances in the film ("Meryton Townhall" and "Another Dance") are lively and joyous, as is "Can't Slow Down". "Your Hands Are Cold" is the true standout, however; sweeping, beautiful, and, like the scene it was written for, unforgettable.

The only element I think lacking is a stronger main theme for Darcy himself, which would have been nice. Really, other than that, I can find no fault with Marianelli's work. If you are a fan of the new film (or a writer looking for background music), this is a must-have.

GRADE: B+