"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" came out of nowhere with perhaps the most visually appealing trailer of the year in 2007. Fate will decide whether or not the film will match the epic tones of the trailer as the previews have a way of leading the audience on. Regardless, the scoring opportunity presented to Craig Armstrong and A.R. Rahman is one that most composers would covet. After all, I think films that take place in a period apart from the present offer a world of new thematic opportunities to indulge in.

The score begins with a blend of strength and elegance in a very impressive opening track. The strings section is the highlight of the opening cue, offering a remarkably appealing sound quality right from the outset. While the film takes place at a time distant from ours, the introductory track is able to modernize the experience without losing sight of the time frame. In fact, what I enjoyed from the first few tracks is that the texture of the score was a bit exotic, melodic and medieval all at once, much like the entire score. Clearly, working in a collaborative manner did not make this a disjointed effort. It appears to me that the aim of the composing team was to keep a sense of melody flowing within the score and for the most part, they were successful. You'll notice that there are plenty of thematic tracks on the album with a love, divinity, and destiny theme owning their own cues.

The overall balance of the soundtrack is excellent. This is not a score that sticks to one tempo throughout. The pacing is evenly divided to be grand where needed, soft when required and thematically rousing when called upon. There is a wide array of instruments and choral elements that are implemented. In particular, the gothic tones of the choir are quite imposing when directed to be. In another instance, the soloist's voice in the "Divinity Theme" is mysterious and stokes the curiosity. To me, this is what film music is about. Not only should it be entertaining to listen to but it should also provoke originality and I feel this is what "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" does with consistency. I never felt I was being put through the motions with this one and felt as though the soundtrack reached epic heights where it needed to.

"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" should pretty much be a winner for most listeners. The only aspect that may deter some is the modern sound design that may prompt purists to cast aside their interest. For me, that doesn't matter -- I found this one to be a refreshing and entertaining score and one that is destined for repeat engagements from me.