And When Did You Last See Your Father?
Although his name might be unfamiliar, you are probably more aware of the music of Barrington Pheloung than you think. He composed the theme music, and incidental music, to the television series Inspector Morse.
He hasn’t composed a great deal for cinema, but what he has done (e.g. Hilary and Jackie), has been very good. Anand Tucker’s charming film (based on a novel by Blake Morrison), called for a light, poignant touch, with only occasional forays into heavier drama – the results of which, are quite lovely. (Not surprisingly, many of Pheloung’s screen compositions have comprised incidental music).
Perhaps it is a result of the projects that he has been given, but it seems that Pheloung has a knack for scoring period pieces, with gentle, unobtrusive themes and melodies. That said, most of the tunes in this recording are rather brief. But they are interspersed with classical pieces that were featured in the film, such as Bellini’s Casta Diva (which was used magnificently), the sublime Adagio from Schubert’s Piano Trio in E, and a nicely measured performance of an Andante from a Bach keyboard concerto.