Customer Reviews

Brideshead Revisited

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The CD I have is also titled "Brideshead Revisited: The Television Scores of Geoffrey Burgon," but it is NOT the same CD as that offered here. Instead, it includes only six compositions from "Brideshead" (the Theme, "Julia," "Julia's Theme," "The Hunt," "Fading Light," and "Farewell to Brideshead") totalling just under 19 minutes. The rest of the CD includes tracks from other Burgon TV scores, including "The Chronicles of Narnia-Suite (13:32)," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (3:48)," "Testament of Youth-Suite (9:37)," and "Bleak House-Suite (12:19)."

The version above contains the "Brideshead" score only. This is excellent news, because the stately, sonorous tones of this work is immensely enjoyable. If you've read/seen "Brideshead Revisited" the music will evoke the people and places populating Waugh's masterpiece. If you haven't, I think you'll enjoy this on its own merits. Highly recommended!

Feeling that the television production of BRIDESHEAD REVISITED is one of the most alluring ever made for the medium, I come to this soundtrack somewhat prejudiced. My original LP of this soundtrack has long since worn out and I had rather forgotten about it. While listening to a classical station at work one day, the entire score was played and I was immediately transported to the land of Sebastian, Charles and all the wonderful characters of Brideshead. Anyone who enjoyed the production would certainly love this score, but there is much here for those who have never seen it. Like many soundtracks, there is a recurring theme, or note, that is expanded upon. It is lovely music, very evocative, somewhat sad but delightful to listen to.

For me, the stand-out tracks are JULIA'S THEME and SEBASTIAN AGAINST THE WORLD. In BRIDESHEAD THEME, it's a borderline-thrill to hear that bassoon putt-putting all over the place in the background. The second part of GOING TO BRIDESHEAD has that brilliant suspended-string shtick. VENICE NOCTURNE has a slow hypnotic quality that reminded me of John Barry. The end of THE FIRST VISIT is also Barryesque. In JULIA, the harmonic tension between the woodwinds and the strings is admirably modernistic.

My favorite passage is near the end of SEBASTIAN'S SUMMER. An oboe passage, backed with a brilliant ascending violin figure, and with the violas doing a slow trill.

I have cruised the INTERNET for years looking for a CD such as this (I have the LP but it is worn out from being played so much) . What a wonderful surprise. The music makes tears come to my eyes.

When I bought this CD, it was the Brideshead theme I was after. It's there, but be warned that it's only 2:00 minutes long.
Nearly all the tracks are fairly short with an average track time of 2:31. Each track is a piece of music intended for a certain situation or part of the story. Which doesn't really give you the time to sit back and soak up the moods in the same way as with non-soundtrack classical music. About half of the tracks contain the Brideshead theme in more or less obvious forms. I think you would have to remember extremely well to recollect most of the tracks apart from the Brideshead theme. I still recommend the CD and consider it worth it's money. A must have for anyone who loved the series. If only for the Brideshead theme which still nearly knocks me over.

Stong and well-balanced use of brass without over-stressing strings yeilding a warm, atmospheric and melodic collection. It is very effective at relaying the mood from the storyline.

The music is stately and evokes a calmness and a poignancy that is reminiscent of other light British classical music -- I'm thinking of Archibald Joyce -- so you could enjoy this CD without being familiar with the series. However, I think the experience of this music is probably more powerful for people who viewed the television series -- which is a masterpiece.

It takes you from a gray day in Oxford, to a sunny day in country, to the gallop of the horses during a fox hunt and a rainy day in Venice. This music beautifully describes the mini-series and each note brings with it vivid images of the charectures and scenes we love so dear. For anyone who loves this show or wants a musical trip through England, this is the soundtrack for you.

This is a very special CD. The music is very poignant, evocative and beautiful: the sort of material that you can listen to over and over again, as it has real depth and quality.

When I saw Brideshead Revisited for the first time, I was immediately captivated by this music. These themes are rich of sentimental emotions, and absolutely suitable for this tv. series. I can not imagine B.R. without them. They were born for it.