Peter Kosminsky’s four-part Channel 4 drama The Promise centres around a British girl who travels to Israel/Palestine and retraces the steps of her grandfather who was a British soldier stationed there in the 1940s. To bring this story to life musically Debbie Wiseman has drawn on Arabic and ethnic influences, and has featured the Duduk, Kaval, Oud, Arabic violin, Arabic vocal, and ethnic percussion - as well as a full symphony orchestra of strings and woodwind...

Debbie Wiseman's score for the Channel 4 drama The Promise is a rather disjointed affair. What's interesting is the mixture of western and ethnic eastern instrument influences. Woven into this score are piano, strings, oboe and harp, as well as Kaval, Duduk, Oud, ethnic flute and Arabic violin.

According to the programme's director Peter Kosminsky: “... it rapidly became clear that the score should be thematic, with distinct but musically linked melodies to identify each character's strand in the unfolding drama." To be honest I hardly noticed any real standout themes. Sadly it all merged into one for me, with only the occasional flash of brilliance I've come to expect from Wiseman.

While I did enjoy this soundtrack, for most it will be a little too dry - a little too bland - as a standalone piece. This is music that really needs the visuals of the TV drama to elevate it to another level.

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Darren Rea