Elizabeth - The Golden Age Soundtrack

Great soundtrack/ Just as good as the one from the first movie. Very atmospheric. Sounds great with a good set of headphones.

5 stars! Ear candy! One of the best movie soundtracks ever made! Craig Armstrong is a genius! Buy this! Now!

Having got this album a few days ago I have to say that the length of it disappointed me, maybe I have been spoilt by the likes of Hans Zimmer, where there seems to be longer pieces. However, I did find it inspiring and relaxing to listen to. I have not heard the first film soundtrack though so I cannot say if it is better or worse. But unfortunately I found myself just getting into the piece of music when it goes onto the next track...but having said that the tracks are only as long as normal songs on a non-classical album.

I disagree with those that thought this musical score was bland. It was far from bland, it was stupendous! A beautiful and moving score was made throughout and I applaud the two composers. I look forward to them working together in the future. Their music stirs the heart! well done.

The first thing one notices about the score to the second of Shekhar Kapur's "Elizabeth" films is that it is infintely different to Hirschfelder's from the original. And yet one must expect this for, in turn, the film is very different to the first. The conspiracies and keeping-to-the-shadows of the original, beautifully evoked by Hirschfelder's mysterious and haunting score, have been flung out for conspiracy on a larger scale and a score which, like the film, focuses on the trials and tribulations of a single woman rather than plots and treachery of a court. Taking cues from some of his earlier work - notably "Plunkett and Macleane" - Armstrong's score to "The Golden Age" is certainly not bursting with originality, nor does it particularly put one in mind of the Tudor era, yet it manages to convey all the same the splendour and power, as well as the bitterness and sacrifice, of the film and the woman at its centre. Ar Rahman also contributed to the score and gave it a surprising splash of Eastern influence which at first sounded out of place to me, but actually works beautifully in context of the unique, almost mythic vision of the film. If you're a fan of the choir-filled movie scores of the past decade, then you'll probably enjoy this as much as I did, but if you're after something a bit more unconventional, you'd be better served by other soundtracks.

Why David Hirschfelder wasn't brought back to score this follow-up to 'Elizabeth' is just one question that bedevils the whole project (maybe he read the script and demurred). Gone is the fabulously dark and evocative scoring of the original, and in its place we get Hollywood hack-work at its worst. At its best it's a second-rate rip off Zimmer & Gerrard's 'Gladiator', and at its worst it is as bland and forgettable as the lifeless film it accompanies.

Als Filmmusikfan war klar, dass ich diese CD haben musste. Den Kauf habe ich nicht bereut. Craig Armstrong, der mir als Composer von Plunkett & McLean erstmals aufgefallen ist, hat auch hier mit gewaltigen Orchesterklängen zugeschlagen. Aber auch feine, gefühlvolle Stücke kommen nicht zu kurz. Wer die Musik von Plunkett&McLean kennt und mag, der wird diese auf jeden Fall auch mögen. Man kann die CD gut am Stück hören, was man nicht von jeder Filmmusik behaupten kann. In Teilen sind Elemente von Elisabeth (1.Teil)zu erkennen, die schön in die neuen Themen integriert wurden. Es macht wirklich Spaß, die Musik zu hören.

Craig Armostrong un compositore contemporaneo eccellente e raffinato, rende tutti gli stati del film in modo aderente alla sceneggiatura. Lo consiglio vivamente anche come compositore classico.

This soundtrack is superb. The very well balanced us of instrumental, choral and orchestral ingredients brilliantly capture the wide range of moods that permeate the whole movie. In track one ('Opening') the beautiful use of strings acts like a magnet to draw in the listener to what proves to be an early taste for what is to come throughout the album. Although there is a medieval theme that underlies the whole album a change of pace and use of individual instruments adds majesty, unpredictability, a changing pace and a feast to our senses. The use of drums in track 15 ('Battle') is arousing while the solo in track 16 ("Divinity Theme') is very spiritual while in track 18 ('Storm') a balanced use of orchestral and choral components is uplifting and rather emotional. There are 20 tracks and run for an overall time of 48:30 mins. In the end one feels uplifted but, at same time drained emotionally. The music is certainly a perfect fit for the movie.

I love this film and have always enjoyed the music in the context of the movie. WOW. This is a great, stand-alone soundtrack. The sound quality is excellent. Just turn out the lights and let this music wash over you.

This soundtrack is a bit brighter and much more contemporary than its predecessor which displayed more choral pieces and Renaissance flair. However, I still like it and bought the mp3 album based on the sampling of tracks that are played on the movie's website. It's a bit shorter than the first soundtrack also (20 tracks but the majority under 3 minutes) and I'd've liked to hear longer pieces but there's a lot packed in it. The last track does lack a bit of the umph you'd expect for the end of such a life and royal era. sidenote: some tracks remind me of the soundtracks for The Passion of the Christ and Moulin Rouge. I have and like both so . . .