Saturday 6 August 2011

Jig - Patrick Doyle

Patrick Doyle is having a busy year with two of the summer's biggest films (Thor and the upcoming Rise of the Escape Beneath the Battle Beyond the Planet of the Apes), but one that is likely to go under the radar are the 40 delightful minutes of Jig. Given that it's a documentary about Irish dancing, I was fully expecting some full on Riverdance action but, of course, Doyle is scoring the human drama backstage, not the competition itself. Therefore, while the tone is very firmly entrenched somewhat typical, film music Irish territory, but managing to sound a lot more authentic than most.

The focus is on a small ensemble; guitar, flute, violin and piano, with a delicate subtlety that is welcome after the bombast of Thor. The delicacy of the textures means it's something of a Celtic version of La Ligne Droit, although it is perhaps a little less memorable. The album closes with the lengthy Final Results, followed by a song with lyric by Doyle Jnr (male) and performed by Doyle Jnr (female). The results, like the rest of the score, are most fetching. In the midst of a noisy summer schedule, a charming and low key alternative.

Dance your way across to Amazon and jiggle your mouse once there.

2 comments:

Lucas said...

Though not one ofhis best score, it's a fine one. Doyle's having a strange year: it's a very prolific one as his 2005, but his works are not that interesting. 'Rise of the Planet...' is better than 'Thor' but I still miss his melodic grandeur action music (Harry Potter, Idochine, Est-Ouest, Frankenstein). 'Killing Me Softly' is a masterpiece, but it wasn´t composed for a 2011 film, it's just a delayed release.

Tom said...

I know what you mean. I go back and listen to Much Ado, Frankenstein, Carlito's Way, Much Ado etc. and I can't imagine any of his 2011 releases matching those, even after many listens. I am still somewhat disappointed by Thor, it just doesn't do much for me. Rise of the Apes is growing on me, but hopefully he'll go back to some artier films, although I have much higher hopes for Brave. La Ligne Droit probably remains his best effort this year.