Milan Records release the soundtrack to the Apple film The Tragedy of Macbeth with music by Carter Burwell. Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand star in Joel Coen’s bold and fierce adaptation; a tale of murder, madness, ambition and wrathful cunning...

The score to The Tragedy of Macbeth is a soundtrack for people who don't like or understand soundtracks. What is the main purpose of a soundtrack? To offer music lovers the opportunity to hear the music without the hindrance of the movie's dialogue. What does The Tragedy of Macbeth soundtrack deliver? Snippets of dialogue from the movie. I don't know why, because if you want to hear that then watch the movie. I came for Burwell's score and I got random Shakespeare sound bytes.

It's hard to work out who this will appeal to. Sure, for the most part the producers have the good sense not to allow the dialogue to interrupt the score too much, but why even bother to include it... Unless it's to pad out the running time... And with a run time of just 30 min, 28 sec (hardly an album at all) my suspicions seem realised.

The music seems to be more of a collection of atmospheric background cues than actual themes, which is a little disappointing when you consider what could have been delivered. There's a rich vein to tap but this feels something of a missed opportunity.

5

Darren Rea