Sony Classical release the score for Love & Friendship. Whit Stillman’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Lady Susan, is set in the 1790s, earlier than most Austen tales, and concerns beautiful young widow Lady Susan Vernon who has come to Churchill, the estate of her in-laws, to wait out colourful rumours about her dalliances circulating through polite society. Whilst ensconced there, she decides to secure a husband for herself and for her daughter, Frederica....

Love & Friendship is set during the Georgian era and, as you'd expect, contains orchestral music that brings to mind that time period; although, to be honest this is also the same style of music that modern composers use to represent many eras from Tudor (1485 - 1603) right through to Victorian (1837 - 1901).

The album contains many classical music tracks by the likes of Purcell, Vivaldi, Händel, Beethoven and Mozart as well as a number of traditional pieces. What's interesting about the collection is that, on the whole, they've gone for pieces that haven't been overly used elsewhere.

For those of you thinking that 'Arietta' sounds like Elvis Presley's 1961 song 'I Can't Help Falling in Love With You', you could be right, as that song was originally based around the melody of Jean-Paul-Égide Martini popular 1784 classical love song 'Plaisir D'amour'.

The score contains 27 tracks (32 min, 19 sec) and represents a nice mix of classical pieces.

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Darren Rea