The Duchess

"If you like Portman’s other works, this is essentially more of the same"

Composed by

Rachel Portman

Released by

Lakeshore Records

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The Duchess

by    ·    November 2, 2008

Much like Duchess star Kiera Knightly has become Hollywood’s belle of the ball for “important” fall films (read fussy, period-piece Oscar bait), Rachel Portman has built a career around writing scores for literary adaptations like Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickelby and Emma. Unlike Knightly however, Portman has never seemed to break out of the rather narrow niche she’s carved for herself – she’s never had her Pirates of the Caribbean if you will.

This has had the unfortunate effect of making her scores more than a little predictable. Without knowing anything about The Duchess, just the lobby poster with Portman’s name on it should tell you what to expect: consonant melodic writing, chamber strings and piano, perhaps a few woodwinds and a complete lack of brass and percussion. And you would be right.

The disc opens with “The Duchess”, which showcases the score’s pretty but over-used main theme and features a lovely solo cello performance. “Mistake of Your Life” introduces a dour alternate theme that shares the pulsating pedal bass line with the first. You’ll also hear a few familiar “Portman-isms”, like the eerily recognizable riff at the beginning of “Bess’ Sons”, which is a pretty direct lift from Benny and Joon.

Portman makes little attempt to vary or embellish her material, except for the plucky waltz rendition of the main theme in “Six Years Later”. The rest of the disc consists of Thomas Newman-like piano tinkling and somber grave atmosphere. While the CD is brief enough to keep you from sinking into complete boredom, it definitely could have benefited from more judicious trimming.

The bottom line is that The Duchess is a pretty, accessible and easily digestible score and if you like Portman’s other works, this is essentially more of the same. I would have loved to see her exercise a bit more of the creativity demonstrated by her recent peers in the genre (Dario Marianelli’s superb scores for Pride and Prejudice and Atonement come to mind). Nevertheless, Portman is a skilled craftsman and The Duchess is a particularly beautiful example of her work.

TRACKS

  1. The Duchess (01:41)
  2. Mistake of Your Life (03:27)
  3. I Think of You All the Time (03:41)
  4. No Mood for Conversation (00:59)
  5. Gee and Grey Make Love (01:57)
  6. Gee and Grey Together In Bath (02:57)
  7. German Dance No. 10 in D Major (03:16) written by Ludwig van Beethoven
  8. Awakening (01:25)
  9. Rape (01:53)
  10. Bess' Sons (02:03)
  11. Gee Gives Up Baby (01:33)
  12. Six Years Later (02:33)
  13. Some Things Too Late, Others Too Early (01:06)
  14. Quartet No 3 (05:49) written by Joseph Haydn
  15. Never See Your Children Again (02:02)
  16. Grey Comes Back (01:53)
  17. Gee Is Taken to the Country (01:37)
  18. End Titles (02:08)