Watership Down

I have been wanting this soundtrack for years, ever since I watched the film as a young lad. Angela Morley’s soundtrack is fantastic and certainly follows the mood of the film. It also includes Bright Eyes as taken from the film (not the pop version) including additional instrumentation. Am so pleased this was re-released. What a find!

S.Cobb is right to praise this release of Angela Morley and Malcolm Williamson's great score for Watership Down. The events leading up to the composition of the score are a tale in themselves. As is well known Malcolm Williamson was not able to complete the score and this was not realised until three weeks before the recording date. Angela Morley, although initially reluctant to do so at such short notice, agreed to write the score and orchestrated Malcolm Williamson's powerful and dramatic opening music which accompanied Michael Horden's rabbit creation myth speech and the Prologue. Under such pressure of time Angela Morley probably produced her masterpiece (Oscar nominated I think). The music is gentle, dramatic, memorable and moving - sometimes rather in the English pastoral landscape tradition (VW/ Finzi for example) but for the memorable East-European seagul (Kehar) she chose a Viennese-type waltz accompanied by a saxophone. The CD also contains the song 'Bright Eyes' sung by Art Garfunkle. Although the work of three composers are featured (predominantly Angela Morley) the score works as a memorable, coherent, entertaining and sometimes moving whole. A very good BBC Radio drama called '1977' focused on the dramatic circumstances surrounding the composition of the score for 'Watership Down' and the website of Angela Morley also features an interesting account of how she became involved in the project.

A beautiful score, at once old-fashioned and yet rich, energetic and natural. A wonderful restoration job. My only negative is that I wish some tracks were longer. Would love to see this performed at something like BBC PRoms, etc.

Very fond of this film , with a fantastic story and voice cast, and the music, by Angela Morley and Malcolm Williamson, and including the song "Bright Eyes" by Mike Batt, is beautiful, largely calm and pastoral, but with some tense action music too; Recommended for any fan of film music, although it has a life way beyond that, as pure orchestral music.

This beautiful soundtrack brings me such vivid memories of the film, which is one of my all time favourites. Very happy with this purchase!

This new remaster is a noticeable step up from the previous CD which was very expensive and difficult to find. If you like this soundtrack then I recommend this CD/SACD very highly.

It was new, brilliant

just perfect for my collection