Here are some soundtrack samples
taken directly from the film as well as some
quotes from Kenneth Branagh about
the score.
If you Have any contributions or any ideas, please let me know.
Soundtrack
Samples
(in RealAudio format) |
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1. Opening Title - 'O! for a Muse of fire'
2. Henry V theme - The Boar's Head
Soundtrack samples are compliments of CDNow. You can buy this soundtrack from CDNow here
One of the questions I was repeatedly asked during
the
tortuous process of raising money for Henry V was:
'How are you going to make it appeal to a wider audience?'
In answer I would describe as best I could my belief in
a modern view of the play: it emerges as a political
thriller, a warts-and-all study of leadership, a
complex debate about war and the pity of war, an
uncompromising analysis of the English class system and
of the gulf between male and female attitudes to this
type of savage conflict. This tremendously rich mixture
is wrapped up in a relentlessly gripping narrative. To
convey this a strong visual style that could appeal to an
audience on the edge of the 1990s was vitally necessary.
The crucial bending agent in all this was the music.
From my very first conversations with Pat Doyle
I encouraged him to be as bold as possible. The film was
taking what I believed to be legitimate historical license
with costumes, sets and military detail. I wanted the
musical approach to be equally uninhibited. I required
no authentically 'medieval' sounds; the score needed to
be of our time, classically rich in tone but instantly
accessible. One of Pat's great gifts is for melody, and I
wanted every tune to make an impact. The great set
pieces needed underscoring as powerful and
immediate as the words themselves.
The challenge was enormous. Quite apart from the
extraordinary standard set by Pat's illustrious
predecessor in the task, there were great pitfalls.
Instantly appealing music could mean instantly forgotten
music: I felt the score should remain with the audience
as long as the pictures did. Then there was the delicate
balance to strike with Shakespeare's golden words: we
couldn't allow the music to swamp the text. As a
layman, I provided Pat with an eclectic array of musical
references, from Paul McCartney to 'Land of Hope and
Glory'. And always, always I encouraged size: the epic
approach, thunderous, full-blooded, heroic size.
I intended the film to move people to every possible
extreme of emotion. Great beauty, bravery and variety
were required of the score. Pat took all this on board
and applied himself to the task with the most
extraordinary diligence. What he produced surpassed
my wildest expectations. A score of immense variation,
power and melodic beauty, it as much as any other
element gives this film the chance of having a truly
popular appeal. The music combines fearsome
emotional guts with a magnetic 'hummability'.
Our final musical blessing was to have the genius of
Simon Rattle conducting the CBSO. In a technically
frustrating process Simon threw off the shackles of film
timing constraints and allowed his marvelous
orchestra
to produce a greater sense of spontaneous 'heart' than I
had thought possible. I am very proud to have been one
of those who brought Pat Doyle and Simon Rattle
together, and I am very grateful to them both. I hope
you enjoy their collaboration on this remarkable score.
-KENNETH BRANAGH