CINDERELLA - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2015)

First, kudos to the album producers for actually releasing this soundtrack on CD format. In an age where almost everything is going digital, it is nice to pop a CD into a drive and hear it spin. Second, we were pleasantly surprised to find about 72 minutes of score material on this Walt Disney Records soundtrack. Most “music from the motion picture” albums these days (in this region, at least) are compilations of radio friendly pop songs and a limited selection of score material at best. So for soundtrack fans, to have more than an hour of grand soaring orchestral music playing in your ears is pure, pure joy.

Scottish film composer Patrick Doyle, a long time collaborator of actor director Kenneth Branagh brings the enchantment of Cinderella to life with his lavish composition. Kicking off the soundtrack is “A Golden Childhood”, a cue that sets the tone with its positively fluttery tone. Things get a little melancholic with “The Great Secret” and “A New Family”, before you get into a classical dance mood with “Life and Laughter”.

Having worked on films like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Thor (2011) and Brave (2012), listeners can expect a classy touch to the action cues here (read: no harsh synthesizers ala Hans Zimmer). The highlight of the album is “The Stag”, a bold and heroic cue that brings to mind a brave prince riding his, well, stag, through lush forests. We also love “Pumpkins and Mice”, “You Shall Go”, “Choose That One” and “Pumpkin Pursuit” for their grand orchestral arrangements.

Doyle has also come up with six waltz and polka cues (“Valse Royale”, “La Valse De L’amour”, “La Valse Champagne”, “La Polka Militaire”, “La Polka De Paris” and “La Polka De Minuit”) which may not be everyone’s cup of tea – but they do add colour to the music selection.

One thing we would love to hear more is “Lavender’s Blue” theme, which we get sporadically of throughout the album. It would have been nice to include the cue performed by Lily James in the movie. Instead, we round off the soundtrack with Sonna Rele’s “Strong” (a commercial decision, definitely) and James’ rendition of the classic “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and Helena Bonham Carter’s “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo” (interesting covers but all too brief). But, no complaints here because we have been spoilt by the generous dosage of Doyle’s music already. 

ALBUM RATING:



Recommended Track: 
(8) The Stag

Review by John Li

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