Mark R. Bannister
Orchestral & Instrumental
Composer for Film, TV & Theatre
ROMEO & JULIET "O
Fortune, Fortune! All men call thee fickle; If thou art fickle, what
dost thou with him That is renown'd for faith?"
The Polesden Lacey Open Air Theatre Company, PLOAT,
for whom I had the good fortune of playing Borachio in their 2004 production
of Much Ado About Nothing, put all their intelligence and emotion
into Romeo and Juliet in July 2006, directed again this year by Ros Rokison.
Like many of Shakespeare's works, the play
demands music that can reflect many complex and competing emotions,
and requires a soundtrack that can follow the story's twists and turns.
This production contained many memorable performances,
from the likes of Rob Lintott (Romeo), Mandie Black (Juliet),
David Longes (Friar Lawrence), Peter Beresford (Benvolio) and
David Young (Mercutio). Luckily for me, the cast also included many
fine singers, but especially Kevin Wood's tenor and Alys Dreux's soprano.
I approached the music from a romantic orchestral
angle, being light to reflect new love in the first half of the show, becoming
increasingly dark and richer in sound as the situation becomes more and more dire.
The examples here are from the second half. The musical climax arrived at the staged
funeral of Juliet, which was placed after Act V Scene 2.
Inspired by Mozart, I composed the funeral song,
Lacrimosa Dies Illa, in the style of a requiem mass.
Hope in Exile
score
mp3
Juliet Sleeps
score
mp3
Lacrimosa Dies Illa
score
mp3
Civil Blood
score
mp3
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