Soundtrack: Doctor Who Series 5
Composer: Murray Gold
Label: Silva Screen Records
Release Date: February 8, 2011
Series 5 of Doctor Who saw many changes, not the least of which was a new Doctor. In addition to meeting Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, we got a new companion, a new TARDIS, a new show opening and logo — a new style of show, basically, with new show runner Steven Moffat at the reins. One thing that did not change, however, was the show’s composer, Murray Gold, who returned to compose another series of music for the hit show. He caught a large dose of the newness going around and created some great new themes and scores for the fourteen episodes, and fortunately for fans of the Doctor, Silva Screen Records has compiled a two-disc soundtrack album covering some of these musical highlights.
My first reaction on listening to this soundtrack was that it sounds like a Murray Gold soundtrack. In terms of overall sound and stylistic features it is very similar to the Series 4 Specials soundtrack that I reviewed last November, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. This soundtrack gives us a sampling of the themes we recognize from watching the show as well as some of the unique and creative musical accompaniments that we might not actually notice while caught up in the action on screen. We also get Gold’s reworking of the one piece of soundtrack we do actually notice each week — the theme tune — although I can’t tell all that much difference between it and the previous one.
The big question is, how do you squeeze fourteen episodes’ worth of music into two CDs? With great difficulty, I would imagine. Some episodes are represented by five or more tracks, while others, including two of the three two-part episodes, have only two or three tracks each. Some of these choices are excellent: the three tracks from “The Victory of the Daleks,” for example, are completely orchestral, with much use of strings and brass to give the pieces a heroic and victorious feel in a manner very much reminiscent of an old World War II movie. Likewise, the two from the “The Time of Angels” and “Flesh and Stone” two-parter are suspenseful and scary, and here Gold incorporates scary effects that remind the listener of great horror movie music.
On the other hand, of the episodes whose music is given more space on the album, sometimes it is justified and sometimes I can’t figure out why so much was included. There are five tracks from “The Vampires of Venice” where two or three would suffice, particularly the ones like “I Offer You My Daughter,” which includes a lute among the instruments to help lend the piece a uniquely Renaissance sound. The eight tracks from “The Lodger,” also, while mostly short, all seemed too similar and very much overkill, especially for one of the weaker episodes of the series. “Vincent and The Doctor,” on the other hand, gives us five tracks that capture very well one of my favorite episodes. Gold describes his compositions for this one as “soulful and quirky” and he says that the music “swings between its ups and downs” much like Van Gogh himself, and I agree with him. The final track of that set, “With Love, Vincent,” is especially nice. As I listened, I could easily bring to mind the corresponding scenes from the end of the episode.
The bulk of the album comes from the first and last episodes, and understandably so — the first episode introduces us to new themes for a new Doctor that will recur throughout the rest of the series, and the final two-parter brings to an end the story arc that has been building and building since the first episode. The ten tracks from “The Eleventh Hour” are the best on the whole album. It sets up the musical aspects of the Eleventh Doctor’s character, especially in “I Am The Doctor,” which is the first instance of the Eleventh Doctor’s theme. The driving beat is in an off-kilter meter of seven, which to me captures Matt Smith’s Doctor very well — it’s quirky, a bit crazy, and full of the spirit embodied by his catch-phrase “Geronimo!” We are also introduced to Amy as a child — her theme is slow, gentle, and quite tender. Its feeling is similar to (but not exactly like) “Amy’s Theme,” which we first encounter in the second episode, “The Beast Below.”
These themes resurface many times throughout the series, but only find their way back into this soundtrack album in some of the twenty-two selections from “The Pandorica Opens” and “The Big Bang.” While I did recognize the main themes in some of these tracks, I must admit that by the time I got to this part of the album the music seemed like so much of the same with very little standing out. Once again, I think for the purposes of this album the inclusion of so many tracks for two episodes, albeit the two biggest episodes of the series, was very much overkill. Of them, the only one that really stands out is the final track, “Onwards!” It is a reprise of the Doctor’s Theme with the addition of some very cool percussive effects, and it cuts off very abruptly, leaving listeners with a sense of expectancy and anticipation of more timey-wimey goodness to come.
If you already own some of Murray Gold’s previous Doctor Who soundtracks, I don’t think that I would recommend that you purchase this one because it is not much different overall from his other work on the show. If not, or if you really like the new characters’ themes, then go for it. It probably would have been more effective as one disc with all of the episodes limited to just a track or two, but it’s still an enjoyable listen. Gold’s work highlights the new aspects while keeping some continuity with the past at the same time, and he does his job very well as always.
Track Listing
CD 1
- “Doctor Who XI” (1:04)
- “Down To Earth” (1:06)
- “Little Amy” (1:45)
- “Fish Custard” (2:00)
- “Can I Come With You?” (1:38)
- “Little Amy: The Apple” (1:12)
- “The Sun’s Gone Wibbly” (2:25)
- “Zero” (1:42)
- “I Am The Doctor” (4:04)
- “The Mad Man With A Box” (2:11)
- “Amy In The TARDIS” (4:20)
- “The Beast Below” (1:49)
- “Amy’s Theme” (2:06)
- “A Lonely Decision” (3:24)
- “A Tyrannical Menace” (2:03)
- “Victory Of The Daleks” (1:14)
- “Battle In The Sky” (3:25)
- “River’s Path” (1:17)
- “The Time Of Angels” (3:59)
- “I Offer You My Daughter” (1:37)
- “Chicken Casanova” (1:24)
- “Signora Rosanna Calvierri” (4:26)
- “Cab For Amy Pond” (2:08)
- “The Vampires Of Venice” (4:50)
- “Wedded Bliss” (1:07)
- “This Is The Dream” (2:55)
- “Rio De Cwmtaff” (4:03)
- “The Silurians” (2:02)
Disc 2
- “Paint” (0:35)
- “Vincent” (2:00)
- “Hidden Treasures” (1:01)
- “A Troubled Man” (2:30)
- “With Love, Vincent” (3:27)
- “Adrift In The TARDIS” (0:45)
- “Friends and Neighbours” (1:16)
- “Doctor Gastronomy” (1:08)
- “You Must Like It Here” (0:53)
- “A Useful Striker” (1:34)
- “A Painful Exchange” (1:11)
- “Kiss The Girl” (5:14)
- “Thank You Craig” (0:45)
- “River Runs Through It” (1:28)
- “Away On Horseback” (1:26)
- “Beneath Stonehenge” (3:45)
- “Who Else Is Coming” (1:52)
- “Amy And Rory” (0:46)
- “The Pandorica” (2:00)
- “Words Win Wars” (1:49)
- “The Life And Death Of Amy Pond” (3:12)
- “Amy’s Starless Life” (1:41)
- “Into The Museum” (1:17)
- “This Is Where It Gets Complicated” (1:08)
- “Roman Paradox” (1:22)
- “The Patient Centurion” (2:49)
- “The Same Sonic” (0:54)
- “Honey I’m Home” (2:13)
- “The Perfect Prison” (2:41)
- “A River Of Tears” (1:00)
- “The Sad Man With A Box” (3:18)
- “You And Me, Amy” (2:27)
- “The Big Day” (2:20)
- “I Remember You” (1:53)
- “Onwards!” (0:58)
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
