Doctor Who: Series 5 Composed by Murray Gold
Varese Sarabande (2010)
Rating:
9/10
More soundclips below provided by AmazonMp3
“DOCTOR WHO
continues to experience incredible success, and no doubt owes
significant thanks to the talents of MURRAY GOLD who has weaved a
score which enjoys acclaim even beyond that of the show. ”
Good as Gold
Review by Richard Buxton
As the holder of the Guinness World record for the “longest running
science fiction series”, Doctor Who has understandably undergone a number
of changes across the board. Actors portraying the fabled Doctor have come
and gone, each bringing their own unique talents and personality to the
role, as have the actors playing his regular sidekicks, while numerous
directors have lent their visions to the countless adventures of the
Doctor. Inevitably, through such frequent change, the series has seen
varying levels of quality in terms of direction, writing and acting. Just
when the pinnacle of the series took place is a subjective matter, but
with the appointment of MURRAY GOLD for the long-awaited return of the
series in 2005, it can be argued that DOCTOR WHO has never before had a
musical landscape as strong as it does today.
The strength of MURRAY’S score for the fifth season of DOCTOR WHO is
abundantly clear in the opening tracks. For such an iconic theme, heard in
“Doctor Who XI”, to be so easily surpassed by the tracks that it precedes
exemplifies the outstanding musical quality GOLD has provided the show
with. The long-enduring theme of DOCTOR WHO is universally loved among
fans of the series and it may come as a surprise for it to be completely
overshadowed by the various other pieces heard in the score. GOLD’S
mastery of the orchestra is heard straight-off-the-bat in “Down To Earth”
as the sheer adventure in the track captivates throughout its running
time.
The adventurous nature of the score is immediately recognizable and is
something that is maintained throughout. The frantic nature of “Down to
Earth” is somewhat condensed into a soaring theme for the series 5 version
of the title in “I Am The Doctor”. The propulsive strings and subdued bass
open the track before the orchestra is let loose with an excellent use of
the choir rounding off the outstanding character theme. This theme is
again heard in the later moments of “Amy In The TARDIS” this time joined
by a guitar and the curious but effective choice of an organ. The
simultaneously heroic and playful nature of the theme makes it a sure-fire
winner and it reappears on the second disc of the soundtrack in “Words Win
Wars”, this time as a stirring rendition.
With such unabashed bombast it comes as a welcome relief to discover that
the score has it’s fair share of tender moments to punctuate the pacing of
this lengthy soundtrack. Early examples of this include “Little Amy”,
“Little Amy: The Apple” and “Can I Come With You”, all of which make good
use of sporadic piano, while the latter two also paint a beautifully
haunting atmosphere with the vocals. The delicate employment of the piano
acts as a fine theme for the character of Amy and an effective contrast to
that of the Doctor himself.
“A Lonely Decision” continues the melancholy-natured half of the score
with a wonderfully balanced and textured piece. Throughout the score, one
of the few detractions is a lack of orchestral power in Gold’s armory. The
orchestration often feels somewhat empty and this is only emphasized when
a piece such as “A Lonely Decision” displays such depth in its
instrumentation. This lack of depth is a characteristic made evident in a
nonetheless successful piece; “The Sun’s Gone Wibbly”. Perhaps it is a
stylistic choice of GOLD’S, but when compared to the stronger tracks
throughout the score it comes a little short in the overall texture.
Despite the success of Gold’s foray into a more emotional realm, it is in
the frantic and heroically bombastic cues that he finds his greatest
success, and this is never more apparent than in “Battle In The Sky”. The
variety of themes and motifs heard throughout the track are unleashed in a
cacophony of glorious brass and strings that manage to evoke a powerful
range of emotions. Such a plentiful selection of themes proves GOLD’S
ability to diversify within the confines of 3.5-minute piece and it comes
as a slight disappointment that such variation isn’t heard more often
across the two-disc set. Despite a lull in the thrilling and adventurous
nature as the score moves across to the second disc, the sombre string
variations to be found in the likes of “Hidden Treasures” and “A Troubled
Man” work well in breaking-up the relentless action.
It would seem that from the overall outstanding quality of the themes
heard, DOCTOR WHO: SERIES 5 is a unanimous success, but it does have its
faults. Tracks heard towards the end of the first disc, such as “The Times
of Angels” and the ending of “Rio De Cwmtaff” approach the genre of horror
music in their design. The use of dissonant pads and merciless percussion
works well in creating an atmosphere, but does little else. It also comes
as a surprise that the melancholic themes heard in the first disc do tend
to outstay their welcome in the second. “Thank you Craig”, while pleasant
enough, does little to stir the emotions that hasn’t been done previously.
So it comes as a relief when GOLD returns to his forte of action-driven
cues, starting with the return of the Doctor’s theme in the playful
“Useful Striker”. The action shifts up another gear in the percussive
“Kiss The Girl” and continues in this vein in the synth-bass driven “River
Runs Through It”.
The score continues this winning-streak consistently through the closing
tracks of the second disc including a distinctly JOHN WILLIAMS-esque piece
of fraught brass, “Who Else Is Coming”.
One of Gold’s great successes is in his usage of the Doctor’s theme
throughout the score. The frequency of the title character theme brings
great suspense and release with its occasional returns to the fore. The
gloriously tragic pull of the orchestra heard in “The Sad Man With a Box”
is swiftly countered by the inevitable return of the magnificent theme.
The theme’s final appearance is of course in the final track of the score,
“Onwards!” and it is here that it is experienced in its purest and
simplest form.
It is impossible to truly analyze this score without writing an entire
novel, such is the score’s length and depth. DOCTOR WHO continues to
experience incredible success, and no doubt owes significant thanks to the
talents of MURRAY GOLD who has weaved a score which enjoys acclaim even
beyond that of the show.
