Ben Bartlett’s spellbinding and atmospheric score to ITV's two-part period drama Lucan is released through Silva Screen Records. Based on the life of flamboyant aristocrat, Lord Lucan, and written by award-winning writer, Jeff Pope, the series stars Rory Kinnear, Catherine McCormac and Christopher Eccleston. Murder, self-destruction and moral squalor set against the backdrop of jittery aristocracy deliver a compelling drama. Ben Bartlett's music conveys the uneasy mood perfectly...

I first came across Ben Bartlett's work when watching Walking with Dinosaurs (1999). Although, back in those days he went by the name Benjamin. He then composed the score for Walking with Beasts (2001) (a proper soundtrack of that would certainly be welcomed, rather than the botched job that was originally released).

I must have played his score for Walking with Dinosaurs hundreds of times, and promised myself that I would keep a look out for his work in the future. For some reason I never did. So, when I saw his name attached to Lucan I was very much looking forward to hearing how his work had matured. I was not disappointed.

The score for Lucan contains 16 tracks (36 min, 05 sec) and in many ways it's very similar in style to Walking with Dinosaurs - the subtle, softer moments at least. It's eerie in places, beautifully melancholic at times, and it works wonderfully as a standalone collection of themes in its own right. Like the Lord Lucan mystery, it's suspenseful and mysterious.

Overall an engaging and gripping collection that houses many intricate themes.

10

Darren Rea