MovieScore Media releases Marco Beltrami's score for the Russian historical drama Mathilde, featuring the world-class musicians of the Mariinsky Opera, conducted by the world-renowned Valery Gergiev. Mathilde tells the story of the supposed romantic relationship between the heir to the Russian throne, Nicholas Romanov, and the ballerina of the Imperial Theatre, Matilda Kshesinskaya. The story opens with the first meeting between the 22-year-old crown prince and 18-year-old ballerina in 1890, then follows the tormented affair up until the coronation of Nicholas and his wife Aleksandra in 1896. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the revolution that lead to the tsar’s abdication...

Marco Beltrami works his magic on Mathilde to deliver an album of beautiful themes. There's one piece of music, in particular, that Beltrami weaves throughout the soundtrack which is particularly haunting - reminding me of his work on Knowing. The theme is most noticeable on the second half of 'Obstacle Course' and 'Fishel's Holograph.'

There are moments of serene beauty ('Mathilde and the Balloon Ride', 'Tent Neckless'); suspense (Church Chase and Train Crash', 'Dark Coronation'); and epic moments of romance ('Train Kiss', 'Dream Kiss').

Not only is it a beautiful album, but the tracks are presented in such a way as to give you a nice balance throughout. The themes are neatly spaced out in order to not sound repetitive.

Overall, a flawless score from Beltrami.

10

Darren Rea