I'm sitting here at my computer listening to the soundtracks I have which are composed by Rachel Portman. She really is magnificent. Like other big composers, such as Hans Zimmer and Thomas Newman, her style is quite distinct and easy to pick out. It is dominated in the background by soft violins, while some single instrument, such as a flute or piano, plays the main theme. Her music is like a quiet spring day or the small doings of a country town. At times it is reminiscent of blowing leaves and the crisp smell of moving air, and at others the hustle of a gossiping housewife and the mediocre urgency of her news. Her style is not heroic, like Zimmer's, nor American, like Newman's. It is very European in tone, but not to such an extent that it does not fit situations outside a European sphere. Rather, it captures the image of simple things, which can adapt to any situation. (It reminds me very much of the song "Simple Gifts".)
I have three scores by Portman: Emma, Chocolat, and The Lake House. Emma, her Oscar winner, is an instant classic, and it oozes with the charm of Austen's story. I can only describe the sound of this soundtrack as a musical portrayal of light. It floats, and embodies the ethereality of a woodland fairy. Next in order, chronologically, is Chocolat. Here the music has much of the same lightness, and yet we hear the first hints of gravity. The two different tones in the music seem to be struggling to discover which will be the victor. But in The Lake House, Portman outdoes herself. She combines the two ideas of joy and gravity. The result is a score that is both thought provoking and delightful.
These CDs are a good sampling of this British composer's work. Please, get them out of the library and listen to them. They are an ode to simple things. With Rachel Portman's music playing, your windows open and the birds singing in harmony, you cannot help but rejoice at the beauty of life.
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