Wolf Hall is the most keenly anticipated BBC drama for 2015. Based on the Booker Prize-winning novels of Hilary Mantel it's cast includes Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis, Claire Foy and Jonathan Pryce. The six part serial presents an intimate portrait of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIIIs chief minister and confidante. Leading British film and TV composer Debbie Wiseman in her sixth collaboration with BAFTA Award winning director Peter Kosminsky has created a highly original score mixing Tudor instruments with modern to create the austere and vivid musical atmosphere of the time. Performed by the celebrated Locrian Ensemble Of London, Debbie says, "It's a huge privilege to have been asked to create the score for the drama adaptation of Hilary Mantel's stunning novels. My aim was to create a musical world inspired by the vitality and elegance of the novels, and the vivid screenplay by Peter Straughan. Peter Kosminsky's powerful visual adaptation and Mark Rylance's mesmerizing performance as Thomas Cromwell have been a huge inspiration throughout the composing process." Debbie Wiseman MBE is one of Britains most successful female music ambassadors as a composer, conductor and also a presenter. With over 200 credits in TV and film, composing highlights include A Poet In New York, The Andrew Marr Show theme, The Promise and the Ivor Novello Award nominated Wilde and Death Of Yugoslavia.
C**R
I disliked Wiseman's inserting her piano renditions within the instrumental arrangements--it ...
I'm wild about this soundtrack and listen to it obsessively--it's dramatic, harmonious, schizy and sets numerous moods of beauty, drivenness, melancholy and nostalgia. However, I disliked Wiseman's inserting her piano renditions within the instrumental arrangements--it absolutely ruined the tone and mood that had been set by the extraordinary orchestration. If I wanted to listen to her floor plan and building blocks I'd want it separate, at the end. Now I'm going to have to remove those piano sketches myself, and I think I'll double the soundtrack and leave them out! Also, it says in the liner notes that the Cromwell leitmotif is a recorder, and it sounds to me more like an oboe or bassoon, which is haunting. A recorder wouldn't have the same effect, unless they made recorders back then that sounded like oboes.
L**S
Annoying Piano
I agree with another reviewer who disliked Wiseman's inserting piano bits into this soundtrack. I bought the CD for Wolf Hall, not for Wiseman's "creative process". If these pieces were transcribed for recorders or something more fitting, they would be fine. The CD is not unlistenable, but the piano pieces are a major distraction from the moody, atmospheric brilliance she created for Wolf Hall.
B**T
Love the music and the show
Love the music and the show. Music is engaging and listened to it for quite a while every day.
A**R
Beautiful!
Love this CD but I knew I would since I ordered it because I enjoyed the music so much while watching the show.
P**J
Splendid music from a outstanding show.
Great old English style music of the greatest show I've seen this decade. Well done.
W**W
Wonderful music from a great series.
Excellent CD of gorgeous music from the series. Any fan of the Wolf Hall TV series will probably love this,too.
W**R
Great "Soundtrack"
If you liked the series - and the music - pick it up!
S**E
TEN STARS!!!
I'd give it ten stars if I could! So excited to have found this as MP3.
J**S
Disappointed !
I loved the Wolf hall series and hoped to hear some Tudor lute music which I really like, It starts with I think a cello , bow going back and forth ( irritating) then piano I listened to most of it and grew steadily more fed up with the awful sound. If anyone knows of any good Tudor lute music please let me know. It is now in the bin
A**O
Mesmerising music
Having seen some of the music performed on BBC's the One Show, and having loved the series Wolf Hall, I thought I'd try the CD. I'm very glad I did, it is just beautiful. Yes, it is a classical album, but it evokes Tudor times in a modern way. If you've seen the series, great, you know what to expect. If you haven't - well even as a stand alone piece of music, it will enchant and delight. As with all TV and film based CD's, the main theme is repeated throughout, but I just think it brings the whole piece together. Certainly worth a listen.
S**R
Soothes the soul & mind. Simply Beautiful!
Loved the TV series & in particular the brilliant Mark Rylance but this soundtrack added so much to the series too. It is as my title says 'simply Beautiful'. So atmospheric & captured the essence of the programme completely. My favourite CD of this year so far & it'll take some beating!
H**Y
I found it transported me back in time and place and was disappointed to find I was in my own lounge when ...
This brings the whole setup back, and had the power to put all the hairs up on the back of my neck! I found it transported me back in time and place and was disappointed to find I was in my own lounge when I opened my eyes after listening to it! Would recommend to all who loved Wolf Hall.
C**N
A soundtrack set to become a classic
One of the features which helped to make the Wolf Hall TV series so compelling was this brilliant soundtrack; like the screenplay itself, it draws immense power from understatement and subtlety. Moreover, with its melancholy beauty this music can stand alone as an artistic work in its own right.
