Chris Roe's score for Spitfire is released via Plaza Mayor Company Ltd. The movie is a cinematic, epic, sweeping tale of determination, vision and courage. It is the story of an aircraft that was forged in competition, shaped as the war clouds gathered and refined in the white heat of combat – going on to become the most famous fighter aircraft ever made. Credited with changing the course of world history, this is the story of the Spitfire – told personally in the words of the last-surviving combat veterans. Through their recollections, we experience the terror and exhilaration of combat five miles up, the loss of friends and the grim determination to see the job through...

When I was growing up my grandparents owned a farm in Lincolnshire. From their back field you could clearly see Tattershall Castle and the jets taking off from RAF Coningsby. And, if we were very lucky, when we had our summer holidays there, the Lancaster might flyover, occasionally accompanied by the Hawker Hurricane and Spitfire. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was just down the road and we'd get the chance to go and see these beautiful planes up close. We'd listen to our grandparents war time stories and so, to me, the Spitfire is a part of the golden years of my childhood.

I haven't managed to see the film yet, but fully intend to, so when Chris Roe's score arrived for review, I was really looking forward to hearing what his approach would be.

I was expecting an epic, thundering main theme. And so I was incredibly surprised to hear that Roe opts for a more subtle, and much more beautiful approach than I could ever have imagined. The main theme, which opens and closes the score, is played on solo piano, giving it a nostalgic, warm feel.

The album contains 13 tracks (30 min, 29 sec) and I was truly impressed with Roe's ability to create mental images in the listener's mind. On the first play through, I listened to this without checking out the track titles, and as soon as I heard, what I later discovered was titled, 'War Clouds', visions of an impending battle flashed before me. This track also reminded me a little of Benjamin Bartlett's work on Walking with Dinosaurs. Oddly enough the track 'Giant of the Skies', if you want to check it out for yourself.

Likewise, with 'Dog Fight' I pictured airman scrambling their Spitfires, preparing for an imminent battle. The track had a ring of Ed Welch's music for The Thirty Nine Steps (1978).

While I was aware I was listening to the Spitfire score, it's still an impressive skill to be able to conjure up music that conveys an image to the listener of exactly what the composer intended.

'Stays With You Forever', 'First Flight', and 'Aerial Ballet' reflect the Spitfire’s grace and beauty, 'Masterpiece' and 'Production Line' its ground-breaking design, and '400 Miles Per Hour' and 'Dogfight' the deadly speed and agility which the pilots remember so clearly to this day.

The score contains 14 tracks (30 min, 29 sec) and I could easily have listened to much more. Roe delivers a beautiful, at times melancholic, score that is essential listening.

10

Darren Rea