TO OLIVIA.

To say that British composer Debbie Wiseman is one of the most talented in the world is most certainly an understatement. She has over the years wowed us with her effecting melodies and her succulent rich and beautiful themes. Her scores for both television and feature films are not only emotive, dramatic, and haunting but are in a word stunning.  Her latest film score is no exception to this rule and with To Olivia we hear a poignancy and a fragility that has been present in other works, but with To Olivia, I believe there is more of a personal and deeper level of poignancy achieved by the composer, which is not surprising considering that Debbie Wiseman is one of the most melodious film music composers that I am aware of.  It is a score that becomes ever more lingering and pleasant as it progresses and grows, the central theme being the foundation on which much of the score is based, with the composer taking her cue from the core melody and creating even more emotive and heartrending compositions around it. The simple but attractive theme entices and beguiles the listener, whilst also enhancing and embroidering the storyline and its images perfectly. The movie I loved, it is one of those films that you will always return to, it is heartwarming, heartbreaking and filled with a glow that cannot fail to touch and affect everyone’s soul and heart. The music underlines the emotions and adds to the storyline a delicate but non-intrusive atmosphere.

There are feelings and moods of happiness, frustration, sadness, and also a sense of darkness and loss purveyed by Debbie Wisemans music, it is a triumph of fragility, and there is at times the underlying feeling of emptiness, and grief. It has to it so many atmospheres and conveys a plethora of moods. The score is performed in the main by strings, with guitar, harp, piano, woodwind and a scattering of percussive elements being introduced.  I was surprised that the movie was on Sky movies, but there again it is a Sky original film, I would say to you watch the movie, then watch it again, then buy the CD or download from any of the digital platforms, as this is an endearing and wonderfully alluring work and one that you will return to over and over like the movie.