Carol (soundtrack)

Carol: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Carter Burwell
Released	November 20, 2015
Recorded	2014–15 Studio X, Seattle The Body, New York
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	52:00
Label	Varèse Sarabande
Producer	Carter Burwell
Carter Burwell chronology
Legend: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2015) Carol: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2015) Anomalisa (2016)

Carol: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2015 film of the same name. The soundtrack includes the original score, composed, produced, orchestrated and conducted by Carter Burwell, and additional music performed by The Clovers, Billie Holiday, Georgia Gibbs, Les Paul and Mary Ford, and Jo Stafford. It was released in both digital download and physical formats on November 20, 2015, by Varèse Sarabande.^[1]

Development

Burwell had received the script of Carol before Todd began the principal photography. Additionally, Todd sent CDs carrying music in the 1950s America that he and Randy Poster had compiled. However, the film having visual language, Burwell didn't begin writing for the score until Todd shot and assembled the film.^[2] Initially, Burwell thought to have two solo instruments, as there were only two characters, and everyone else just passes through.^[3] Burwell began recording with the track titled "Opening". He stated that composing such a piece first was an odd choice because none of the main characters appear in that scene.^[4] However, he felt it was important that whatever he did would bring the feeling of the film and the unseen characters. Burwell also wrote several different ideas for that and sent them to Todd.^[4]

Burwell wrote the score with a small ensemble consisting of 8 to 17 musicians. Smallest arrangement consisted string quartets with bass, harp, piano and clarinet. Apart from orchestration and conducting the score, the music was performed by the Seattle Symphony. The whole process, from writing through recording and mixing, took about eight weeks for 38 minutes of music.^[2] Burwell described the character of Carol (played by Cate Blanchett) 'cypher, cool, aloof like mystery'. The instruments he used were piano, clarinet and vibe. According to him, there are three main themes in the score. The music heard in the city scene shows the active engagement and passion of the characters Therèse (played by Rooney Mara) and Carol.^[2] Eventually, a similar theme music becomes their love theme, later. For the theme that shows character Therèse’s fascination with Carol, Burwell introduced, a cloud of piano notes. He kept the piano texture has notes played differently by right hand and left hand wherein the notes played by left depict disappearing sounds into a cloud and the right carries the melody. Apparently this was observed when Therèse gets into Carol's car for the first time which appears like a public courtship moving somewhere private and thus the solos notes heard were processed and there were the delays so that the notes pile up into a cloud.^[3] The third theme is about absence and loss. The theme was used in the scene after Carol leaves Therèse and tries to explain herself in a letter. Burwell wrote open intervals such as the fourth, fifth and ninth, to hide the sentiment.^[2]

Critical response

Nev Pierce of Empire called Burwell's score "sumptuous".^[5] Stefan Ellison for the The Scene Magazine wrote: "Carter Burwell's score is a beautiful piece, representing Carol and Therese's romance so well and never becoming overbearing, but rather a natural part of the environment."^[6] Michael Joyce of Ham & High stated: "The discrete way he underscores emotions is ideal for a tale of a love that dare not speak its name, set in a time when a lid was kept on that kind of thing."^[7] In his review for San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle wrote: "while underscoring [interior] scenes comes the sound of piped-in organ music ... that is just a little bit weird."^[8] On Combustible Celluloid, Jeffery M. Anderson commented that the score was "perfect" for the film.^[9] In his review for The Arts Desk, Demetrios Matheou felt that Burwell's score, "reminiscent of Philip Glass's spare but highly emotive piano pieces", sets the mood.^[10] Ryan Gilbey of New Statesman magazine noted: "The score by Carter Burwell, laced with a snake charmer's seductiveness, swells and swoops."^[11] Andrew O'Hehir at Salon commented: "Carter Burwell's haunting score sets the mood by bridging the seemingly unbridgeable gap between Schubert, Duke Ellington and Philip Glass."^[12] In her review for Little White Lies, Sophie Kaufman called the score by Burwell as "yearning".^[13] Lewis Bazley of Sky Movies stated: "Carter Burwell's score soothes and soars."^[14]

Track listing

All music composed by Carter Burwell except where noted.

• Songs not featured on the soundtrack but in the film include "Willow Weep for Me" performed by Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks Orchestra, "A Garden in the Rain" performed by The Four Aces, "Perdido" performed by Woody Herman, "That's the Chance You Take" by Eddie Fisher, "Slow Poke" by Pee Wee King, and "Why Don't You Believe Me" performed by Patti Page.^[16]

Personnel

• Score composed, produced, orchestrated and conducted by Carter Burwell.

Charts

See also

• List of accolades received by Carol (film)

References

External links

• Official movie website
• Carol at the Internet Movie Database
• Carol at Rotten Tomatoes