Elizabeth: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

 (27 customer reviews)

To borrow a phrase from the Phantom of the Opera, I would describe the score to Elizabeth as being one that is "hard as lightning, soft as candle light". My salutations to David Hirschfelder for this unique invention of themes ranging from the dark, spine-tingling themes to the light and lush sounds of the "coronation banquet" and the "love theme". His use of other classical materials gives this score added textures and layers. What you get in the end is a full hour of themes that will be swimming in your head for days after. For example, the 6-minute-long "coronation banquet" sets the scene for festivity and pagaentry in a time so long ago. It rivals the dance sequence from Shakespeare in Love with its strong and percussive beats... you could use it in a modern discotheque and everyone, "let's do the volta!" The darker themes are just right without being too dark. And of course, the love theme - all I can say is that it is...Read more

One of the most stunning historical dramas ever filmed is "Elizabeth," directed by Shekhar Kapur and starring Cate Blanchett as England's Queen Elizabeth I. A crucial element of the film's overall effect is David Hirschfelder's superb musical score. The CD of "Elizabeth" is one of those great scores which succeeds as compelling music on its own, apart from the film."Elizabeth" starts off strong with the amazing "Elizabeth: Overture." This composition features an eery blend of male and female choirs. The ominous overture builds to a strikingly frenzied crescendo.The rest of the music is equally masterful, and features a good blend of choir and orchestra on certain tracks. The music captures the many moods and flavors of Elizabeth's world: martial, majestic, frightening, elegant, haunting, joyful. I especially liked the tender love theme.The music of "Elizabeth" successfully evokes both the violence and beauty of this memorable...Read more

Elizabeth's soundtrack deftly captures the brooding darkness and the painful passion of the film through its various themes. Included are sources not originally written by Hirschfelder, such as an amazing Mozart Requiem Aeturnum (K. 626, d minor) that sounds as if it were recorded in an echo chamber by a fiery nymph. Some of the music is period appropriate, however, and traditional dances from the 16th century make their appearance. Elizabeth combines sweeping love themes, rhythmic terror, vocal madness, and musical homage into a wonderful soundtrack recording that reflects the beauty of the superb film in which it appears. Why Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar for best original score is something which I cannot fathom. Compared to Elizabeth it is musically dull and repetitive.