On the Desk: Let's hear it for the girls...

This week I’m all about the girls (first time for everything I suppose…) and the pile of albums on my desk features a selection of strong women, both characters and composers, who are worth a mention.

Firstly, and admirably doing their bit for the War effort, are the Land Girls. The BBC’s Sunday teatime drama is just the perfect accompaniment to that time on that day. Warm, cosy, lightly dramatic, slightly comic and with a dollop of romance that makes it too hard to resist. With a third series in the works, it’s obvious it’s going down well and is just the sort of thing the BBC should be making time – and saving money – for. The BBC have teamed up with Rhino Records to release a pleasing soundtrack selection that takes in many of the period classics that litter the show’s own soundscape, alongside Debbie Wiseman’s heartwarming original scores. Packaged in an attractive, though possibly pointless, cardboard sleeve, the album is a little treasure trove of 1940s hits. Glenn Miller’s ‘In The Mood’ is a must-have in such a collection and the likes of Vera Lynn’s ‘It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow’ seal the deal. Throughout the disc we’re treated to cuts by The Geoff Pearce Little Big Band,Benny Goodman & His Orchestra, The Andrews Sisters, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra and the wonderful Connie Carter. The Chelsea Pensioners offer a Military Medley, while The Soldiers open the selection with Debbie Wiseman’s own title song ‘While We’re Away’ (written with Don Black no less). Debbie’s original music peppers the period tunes and the selections of score rely heavily on her winning main theme – itself lilting, wistful and suitably misty-eyed. Obviously I’m always up for plenty more Debbie Wiseman on a soundtrack album, but this package is very fitting and nice product that captures the feel and energy of the much-loved drama.

Debbie’s theme from Land Girls also features on ‘Piano Stories’, the composer’s new solo piano album which hits the shops tomorrow (Monday 19 September)! Now while I may have had more than a little to do with its inception, I can’t tell you enough just how wonderful the album is. The piano has featured prominently throughout Debbie’s scores for film and television and it is the instrument she turns to for inspiration when she’s composing. With that in mind the music selected for ‘Piano Stories’ is Debbie Wiseman’s music as it was originally conceived – just on piano. Something of a look over her shoulder, it features new recordings of themes from Wilde, The Upper Hand, Children’s Hospital, Haunted, Tom & Viv, Lesbian Vampire Killers, Stephen Fry in America and Joanna Lumley’s Nile. It also features a couple of exclusives, including her soulful, spine-tingling theme from The Hide and the plaintively evocative theme from The Throne. There’s even more than that – indeed we were quite generous! – so much so if you go to iTunes there are even a couple of bonus tracks not on the CD. It’s a beautiful document of a career and a personality in music; I can guarantee you won’t regret buying it… Promise.

From rural England to Ancient China now and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Wayne Wang’s film of Lisa See’s novel about two girls who form a deep bond and create a unique way of communicating at a time when women were to be seen and not heard. The film looks gorgeous and its score, by Rachel Portman, is characteristically gossamer and pleasing to the ear. It feels as if Rachel has been quiet of late, so its great to have a major score release in this not unfamiliar vain. Twinkling, tinkling piano and fluttering orchestral shades are the order of the day here, together bringing about a quiet sense of beauty and sumptuous colour. I do enjoy Rachel Portman’s music – indeed her ‘Soundtracks’ compilation album features regularly on my playlist at home and while she isn’t perhaps the most inventive of composers these days, her trusted palette continues to captivate with its delightful turns of phrase and emotive undercurrents.

Jane Eyre is the target of yet another big screen adaptation this month as Cary Fukunaga’s vision of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel hits multiplexes in the UK. Dario Marienelli joins the ranks of Bernard Herrmann, John Williams and Claudio Capponi, to underscore this latest outing and does so with stunning effect. With his score for Pride & Prejudice in mind, Dario is perhaps the perfect choice to score Jane Eyre and he yet again creates a score full of scintillating romance, passion and high drama. The piano features of course here, but takes something of a back seat to the violin which forms the beating heart of the work. Jack Liebeck provides the performance here and it’s a match made in heaven as the young virtuoso breathes a fiery elegance into the gorgeous lines gifted to him by the composer. I’m a sucker for a great violin score and the union of the brilliant Liebeck with the talented Marianelli means Jane Eyre is up there with the likes of The Red Violin, Schindler’s List, Cinema Paradiso and Ladies in Lavender. Liebeck is himself no stranger to film scoring having provided intense and exciting playing on Debbie Wiseman’s Middletown back in 2006 (as well as her popular Oscar Wilde Fairy Tales album before that). Jane Eyre though is a triumph and a favourite score of the year so far for me personally; surely another Oscar nomination is in the bag for Dario…

The violin takes centre stage on Tadlow Music’s latest album, which puts the spotlight on the talented young woman behind pretty much all of the violin solos you will have heard on City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra recordings in recent years. ‘Lucie Švehlová: The Lark Ascending’ finds the leader of the CPPO headline for the first time in a collection of ‘Classical and Film Music Violin Romances’. Two of the scores I mentioned above feature here, with John Williams’ Schindler’s List taking dominating the middle section with three selections (the two obvious ones, alongside the always-hair-raising ‘Jewish Town’). Nigel Hess’ Ladies in Lavender never fails to uplift and Lucie carries it beautifully, while the likes of Rozsa’s gorgeous ‘Gabrielle’ from The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and his love theme from El Cid complete the well known film titles. Andre Previn’s ‘Romance’ from The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a surprising, but not unwelcome addition, when you consider all the other great violin pieces that could have been included. An original composition by Nic Raine called ‘Renacuajo’ is another surprise, but why not, and the classical staples ‘The Lark Ascending’ and ‘Greensleeves’ complete the set on a legitimate note. The latter is actually arranged as a ‘Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra’ (by Paul Hart) and is a premiere recording… Great stuff and lovely playing, as ever, from Lucie – the darling of the City of Prague Phil…

Finally we look to Miss Red Riding Hood, the cover star of The Weinstein Company’s Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil. While the first film tried and failed to equal the popularity of DreamWorks’ Shrek canon, that didn’t stop the producers whipping out a second colourful instalment. The fact that it was shelved for a year or two shouldn’t put you off – ours is not to reason why the wherefores of the Hollywood legal system. For me it was a real shame because I’d known all along that the brilliant and insanely talented Murray Gold had done the music. Not content with supplying hundreds of minutes of sparkling, rambunctious and powerfully emotional music for the BBC’s Doctor Who, the British-born-now-based-in-the-US composer is doing wonderful things for other shows, dramas and – here – big, glossy animated features! Hoodwinked finds Murray pretty much going all out create the feistiest, flashiest collection of cues you could ask for in a fast-paced, hopefully-laugh-a-minute comedy. Mickey-mousing this may be (in part) but with team Who doing the biz, it’s anything but paint-by-numbers. Madcap, heroic, sometimes beautiful, it’s everything Doctor Who is celebrated for, but with a few extra whams and whizzes to keep you on your toes. The score is as smart as it is fun and quite honestly exhausting if you’re not in the mood. But what a piece of work it is… He came, he scored… he outdid himself frankly.

Piano Stories, released on Warner Classics, is available from 19 September from Amazon.co.uk, with Rhino’s Land Girls, Sony’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Jane Eyre, not to mention Lakeshore’s Hoodwinked Too! already on sale. Tadlow’s lovely violin disc can be ordered from Silvascreenmusic.com…

Thanks to Sony Music, Tadlow Music, Warner Classics, Debbie Wiseman and Murray Gold.