The Butterfly Tattoo (Richard Bodgers)

The Butterfly Tattoo written by Philip Pullman (The Golden Compass, His Dark Materials etc)

The Film Score:

This is a score to be ranked alongside the very top film scores of the 20th and 21st century. Now that I've listened to it for a week or two, its haunting melodies are etched into my mind and I can't stop humming it to myself. It manages to be haunting, evocative and atmospheric in one fell swoop. The composer has this supernatural ability to spiritually transport the listener to a new dimension altogether by the way in which his piano delicately places the melody before you to consume with all of your senses somewhat like a Michelin star chef presents his signature dish. The emotional ingredients of each classical piece seem to be steeped in tragedy, in joy, in unrequited love and the repulsion and disgust that real-life can bring. In and out of your conscious psyche the piano tracks manage to evoke all kinds of feelings from sadness to joy, from antagonism to contentment. It's simply an astounding set of compositions from a vastly under-appreciated master of the genre Richard Bodgers. "Summer Ball" is the most enchantingly hypnotic piece of music I've ever heard and manages every time to make me feel optimistic and contented and yet paradoxically brings a tear of mixed emotions to my eyes. It balances the ethereal with reality and hope for the future and yet there are tinges of the tragic around the periphery - simply brilliant. "I Want To Know Who He Is" is scary, moreover invoking visions of wasted lives, unanswered questions It could be the theme tune to the most terrible of your nightmares. "Kiss Me" is almost certainly the most angst ridden, tragic and poignant piano composition I've ever heard and is sufficient to make me cry and yet its use of certain chord structures gives me hope...