Rachel Portman, Various Artists - Infamous

Rachel Portman's Important Contributions

Rachel Portman is a gifted composer and an even finer craftsman of working through film scores to find just the right touches to serve the story well. Her credits are rather staggering: her film scores include 'Chocolat', 'Emma', 'The Human Stain', 'Nicholas Nickleby', 'The Little Prince', 'The Cider House Rules', 'The Manchurian Candidate', 'Benny and Joon', 'Miss Potter', etc - scores that touch almost every period of music.

INFAMOUS requires a score that can muster the sense of glamour of New York and also find the essence of Kansas, traveling the gamut between the flamboyance of Truman Capote's cavorting with his famous friends to narrowing down Capote's dissolution at the hanging of Perry Smith. Portman does it all with aplomb. The soundtrack CD includes that magical moment of Gweneth Paltrow singing in a club at the beginning of the film, and Daniel Craig's simple guitar song he croons on a tape for Capote - a rendition all the more touching because of its honesty in allowing a non-singer to render the song instead of lip synching a pro's voice.

But for this listener the treasures of this CD are Portman's compositions for chamber ensemble and duets for oddly paired instruments that haunt the atmosphere of suspense and thwarted love in the rainy night of the Kansas execution. This is an album that bears close attention as an example of just how important fine music is to the overall success of a film. February 15, 2007

Rachel Portman's Important Contributions

Rachel Portman is a gifted composer and an even finer craftsman of working through film scores to find just the right touches to serve the story well. Her credits are rather staggering: her film scores include 'Chocolat', 'Emma', 'The Human Stain', 'Nicholas Nickleby', 'The Little Prince', 'The Cider House Rules', 'The Manchurian Candidate', 'Benny and Joon', 'Miss Potter', etc - scores that touch almost every period of music.

INFAMOUS requires a score that can muster the sense of glamour of New York and also find the essence of Kansas, traveling the gamut between the flamboyance of Truman Capote's cavorting with his famous friends to narrowing down Capote's dissolution at the hanging of Perry Smith. Portman does it all with aplomb. The soundtrack CD includes that magical moment of Gweneth Paltrow singing in a club at the beginning of the film, and Daniel Craig's simple guitar song he croons on a tape for Capote - a rendition all the more touching because of its honesty in allowing a non-singer to render the song instead of lip synching a pro's voice.

But for this listener the treasures of this CD are Portman's compositions for chamber ensemble and duets for oddly paired instruments that haunt the atmosphere of suspense and thwarted love in the rainy night of the Kansas execution. This is an album that bears close attention as an example of just how important fine music is to the overall success of a film. Grady Harp, February 07
February 15, 2007

Packed full and worth every second

Rachel Portman's score for the newest telling of Capote's life navigates the disintegration and turmoil Capote experiences from openly gay socialite in the 1950s through his dangerously complex relationship with one of the murder's of the case he's writing about (which became "In Cold Blood"). A small orchestra is used to create a subtle score, one that creates empathy for Capote's emotions instead of exaggerating them. Coupled with this score are original performances by Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig, definitely worth the listen. Paltrow's voice is smooth and clear and Craig's supports the centeral theme of the men's relationship. If that wasn't enough, the soundtrack features never before released demos by Johnny Bond, an influential country singer and actor from the time period. Perfect for anyone who enjoys the 1950s music scene. October 20, 2006

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