Saturday, February 26, 2011

Music for the Pastor's Study: Part XXII. Rachel Portman (Soundtrack to "Emma," et al.)

Perhaps the best bet for finding a good soundtrack for the pastoral study is to comb through the movie soundtracks of pastoral (often British) period films.  A case in point: the movie "Emma" (1996) has been rerunning on cable recently, and I have been reminded of its lovely, sprightly, and evocative theme. If the name Rachel Portman seems familiar, its because her name has appeared as composer on dozens of films, but it was for "Emma" that she won the Oscar. (Oddly enough, Portman was schooled at the England's prestigious Charterhouse, where the boys of Genesis, including Anthony Phillips, were educated.)