Patrick Doyle Albums (15)
What The Critics Say
Composer Patrick Doyle, who cast a dark cloud (in a good way) over Harry Potter on the soundtrack to 2005's Goblet of Fire does just the opposite for the film adaptation of the popular young adult novel Eragon. An amalgamation of the worlds of Potter, the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Anne Mcaffery's Dragonriders of Pern, Eragon is a by-the-book fantasy and it deserves a predictable score. Doyle takes a page from every schmaltzy trick in the "adventure film's composer" book, pulling the pulpy bits from John Williams and the heavy bits from Howard Shore with confidence and precision, but it doesn't make it worth listening to. The two non-orchestral pieces, "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne and "Once in Every Lifetime" from singer/songwriter Jem sound exactly like what one would expect from the titles. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'
Release Date 11/8/2005
Tracks 24
Label Warner Bros.
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What The Critics Say
Composer Patrick Doyle (Sense and Sensibility, Carlito's Way, Gosford Park) brought a new sound -- despite a couple of instances of previous composer John Williams' instantly recognizable "Hedwig's Theme" -- to the Harry Potter franchise with his colorful score for the popular series' fourth installment, The Goblet of Fire. Darker, bolder, and a little less magical, Doyle doesn't reach the dizzying heights achieved by Williams on 2004's Prisoner of Azkaban, but he has managed to create some new and exciting themes that integrate themselves seamlessly into the Potter universe. Scheming reporter "Rita Skeeter" is given a playful pizzicato motif that manages to mirror her unpleasant personality without offending the ears, the "Quidditch World Cup" bursts from the skies with brass-heavy British pride, and the newly de-cloaked villain, "Voldemort," rises from the ashes in a wash of screaming strings that would make even the bravest wizard squirm in dreadful anticipation. Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, who along with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway appeared in the film as a popular "non-muggle" rock band, contribute three tracks as the Weird Sisters -- Canadian folk group the Wyrd Sisters attempted to file an injunction against the film, but were denied by a Winnipeg judge. Sounding like a cross between Screaming Lord Sutch, the Damned, and Nick Cave, "Do the Hippogriff," "This Is the Night," and "Magic Works" aren't particularly memorable, but much like the Star Wars cantina band, they work their magic onscreen. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'Nanny McPhee'
Release Date 10/24/2005
Tracks 21
Label Varese Sarabande
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'Nouvelle France'
Release Date 1/11/2005
Tracks 17
Label Sony International
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What The Critics Say
Screen composer Patrick Doyle has a resumé full of adaptations of classic British literature (Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility, Great Expectations), which made him a good choice for Gosford Park, director Robert Altman's murder mystery set at an English estate in 1932. Typical for Altman, who has used music, especially songs, prominently in many of his films (think of M.A.S.H.'s "Suicide Is Painless" and the song score to Nashville), Gosford Park already has a built-in musical element: One of the characters is the real historical figure Ivor Novello (1893-1951; played and sung by Jeremy Northam), a songwriter second only to Noël Coward among the major British theater composers of the first half of the 20th century (though much less well-known in the U.S.). Six of Novello's sophisticated, witty songs form the core of the film's music, and Doyle has constructed a score to complement them and, of course, to suit the ins and outs of the Upstairs/Downstairs crossed with Agatha Christie plot. The soundtrack album contains 16 of his cues, most of them short pieces that state a mood using only a piano or a few pieces and then end without developing further. They are in a variety of styles, from jazz to classical, but maintain a discreet background tone. There are also a couple more songs in the Novello style co-written by Altman and sung by Abigail Doyle. It makes for a pleasant listen in which the Novello songs, particularly the comic "And Her Mother Came Too" (a favorite of cabaret singer Bobby Short), stand out. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The award-nominated French film East-West features a score composed by Patrick Doyle, who also wrote music for Sense and Sensibility and Much Ado About Nothing. Alternately poignant and tense orchestral pieces like "Farewell of a Slav," "Arrival in Kiev," "The Black Sea," and "You Must Stay Alive" reflect the wrenching journey of a Russian expatriate family from France to Bulgaria shortly after World War II. An integral piece of the film, and a gripping work of art in its own right. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Patrick Doyle began his career in film music writing scores for Kenneth Branagh's films -- but he didn't receive his first Oscar nomination until he wrote this one for Branagh's then-wife, Emma Thompson (whose magic touch with the Academy landed her almost annual nominations in the 1990s). Since then, Doyle seems to have joined the small group of score writers who get voted in year after year by the old boys' club that is the Academy's musical wing. However, this is not Doyle's best work -- most of it simply recycles melodic phrases from his previous stuff. Nonetheless, Sense and Sensibility has a pleasant romanticism in its orchestrations, and the vocal solos by renowned soprano Jane Eaglen are quite good. ~ Darryl Cater, All Music Guide
