*Article published in June 1997, in Viva Música magazine

What do Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and American mobsters have in common? Patrick Doyle‘s music is the answer. The Scottish composer – who began his career as an actor – is today one of the most sought-after names to create soundtracks for major films and, as a result, has already accumulated two Oscar nominations, in addition to several other awards.

The most immediate reference for film fans is to associate Doyle’s name with that of director Kenneth Branagh, with whom the composer has worked for ten years and for whom he composed his first soundtrack: that of the film Henry V. “This is still the . my favorite work and, because it was the first, it becomes even more special”, says Doyle in a telephone interview from England, where he is composing for Alfonso Cuarón‘s next film, Great Expectations, based on the work of Charles Dickens.

As an actor, Doyle met Branagh in 1987 when he joined his theater company, the Renaissance Theater Company. Prior to that, he studied piano and graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and maintained a career divided between acting (he had a short appearance in Chariots of Fire) and composing for English TV and stage plays. At Renaissance, he continued to juggle both roles until he managed to convince a reluctant Branagh to let him compose the score for his first film, Henry V, in 1989. That changed his story.

“Before, I had never even considered the idea of composing for the screen, but since acting was no longer satisfying me, the opportunity came at the right time. I confess that the final result of Henry V surprised me and Kenneth”, he recalls.

The success of the Henry V soundtrack led to a series of invitations for Doyle to work with other directors such as Regis Wargnier (Indochine and Une Femme Française), Brian de Palma (Carlito’s Way, with Al Pacino and Sean Penn) and Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet). With so much work in cinema, his career as a theater composer came to an end. Doyle explains, “Songwriting for the theater is writing music that connects scenes and eventually helps the action. In cinema, music is a stronger element and is certainly a greater challenge”.

Over those years, Doyle continued to collaborate on other Branagh films, such as Dead Again, Much Ado About Nothing, Frankenstein, and, most recently, Hamlet (for which he received his second Oscar nomination this year). In all the works, he was present on the film sets to better capture the atmosphere of the film, be inspired by the actors’ interpretations, and, in some cases, make a cameo as an actor.

For fans of Branagh and Doyle, these entries have already spawned a series of trivia exchanged via the Internet to discover him in each film. In Henry V he is the soldier who leads the song of Non Nobis Domine, in Dead Again he is a policeman in the hospital, in Much Ado About Nothing he is Balthazar and sings Sigh No More Ladies, among others.

Patrick Doyle‘s soundtracks, in CD stores, are not only found in the specific cinema sessions but also in the classics section. “I compose symphonically and think classically,” he says. It’s easy to check this through the list of artists he works with. The Henry V score was conducted by Simon Rattle and performed by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. An excerpt from the soundtrack for Dead Again contains an opera, Sense and Sensibility features the voice of soprano Jane Eaglen, just as tenor Plácido Domingo sings in Hamlet. Despite this, he does not entertain the idea of writing an entire opera. “A work like this requires a minimum of two years of introspection in the composition and another system of rehearsals. I’m very satisfied with what I’ve been doing and, with so many invitations to compose for films, I have little free time left,” he explains.

Still, Doyle makes concessions, such as a praised piece for soprano and choral, commissioned by Prince Charles, for the Queen Mother’s 90th birthday. “It was a good experience that I would repeat if I were invited”, confesses the composer.

At the moment, two works by Patrick Doyle can be appreciated in cinema: Hamlet, by Kenneth Branagh, and Donnie Brasco, by Mike Newell, with Al Pacino and Johnny Depp in the cast. In addition, Doyle has been holding meetings with Branagh, aiming at the director’s next project and composing the soundtrack for Alfonso Cuarón’s new film (The Little Princess, the first, is now available on video).

“This will be an absolutely atypical work for me, as several pop artists will participate”, he adds. “But I won’t reveal more than that, you will find out soon”, he teases.

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