Red Riding was a 2009 Channel 4 movie drama series with an all-star cast that included Sean Bean, Paddy Considine and David Morrissey. Three feature length films - 1974, 1980 and 1983, were based on David Peace’s crime thrillers set in Yorkshire in the 70s and 80s; a time of paranoia, police corruption and the Ripper murders. Music for each film was scored by a different composer - Adrian Johnston, Dickon Hinchliffe and Barrington Pheloung...

The soundtrack to the Red Riding quartet of films - which were originally broadcast on Channel 4 between 5-19 March 2009 - brings together a collection of classically composed scores, each with very different themes.

1974 is scored by Adrian Johnston, BAFTA nominated for The Lost Prince, Tipping The Velvet, Perfect Strangers and Our Mutual Friend. He has written over 20 feature film scores including 2008's lavish production of Brideshead Revisited. Johnstone's music is hauntingly beautiful. I particularly loved the tracks 'Devil's Ditch', 'Barry's Life Work', 'Never Come Back', and 'Panegyric' - which reminded me of Carter Burwell's score for Being John Malkovich.

1980 is composed by Dickon Hinchliffe, the founder member of The Tindersticks, his multi-instrumentalist talents and string arrangements adding a lush sheen to their unique sound. Highlights include the beautiful 'Your Answer' and the upbeat 'Peace at Last'.

1983 is scored by Barrington Pheloung, an internationally renown composer and conductor with an immense catalogue of film and TV music. Barrington is perhaps best known for writing the signature Inspector Morse theme, one of the most identifiable themes in small screen history. Sadly, I wasn't so struck on Pheloung's style - which reminded me too much of the rather bland and repetitive work of Michael Nyman. It's not that it's poor music, some of it is beautiful, it's just that you feel like you've heard it all before.

All in all, this album has a good collection of styles to suit most fans of classically scored soundtracks. For those that have seen the Red Riding trilogy, and enjoyed it, this is an essential purchase.

9

Darren Rea