Mark R. Bannister
Orchestral & Instrumental Composer
for Film, TV & Theatre

HAMLET
"Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads." 

Hamlet is a play rich with themes, memorable quotes and powerful characters; and the production at the Richmond Shakespeare Society in Twickenham, March 2007 was a faithful interpretation that received rave reviews from audience and critics alike.

The music began with a representation of a bell tolling midnight, which gradually morphed into the bell itself heard at the end of the track.  This opened to the eerie battlements scene. We kept the music sparse throughout the show to add to its simplicity and poignancy, at times introducing a small section of my Piano Prelude for One Hand, which wasn't specifically written for the show, but written for pleasure at the same time, and its themes seemed to fit perfectly.

Hamlet (MP3 - 1 min 29 secs - 1.20 Mb)

Prelude No. 4 for One Hand, "The River Rapids"  score  mp3

The other difficulty with Hamlet comes in the shape of Ophelia, not that she is a difficult character, nor the actress who played her difficult to work with - in fact, Helen Linstead, who deserves a special mention, was remarkably easy to work with and she pulled off an awe-inspiring performance worthy of an Olivier - but that she has numerous songs to sing.  Shakespeare, in his infinite wisdom, left us no material, short of the lyrics, to work with.  So here is my musical interpretation, as used in this production, which Helen learned perfectly and made her own:

And Will He Not Come Again (PDF - 36 Kb)
Bonny Sweet Robin (PDF - 13 Kb)
Dead and Gone (PDF - 47 Kb)
Hey Nonny (PDF - 20 Kb)
To Be Your Valentine (PDF - 60 Kb)

ABOUT THE COMPOSER