Soundtrack Review: The Tudors Season 2 (2009)

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This is a review of the television score The Tudors Season 2 by Trevor Morris.

“There’s so much drama and excitement here, and it’s all wrapped into this mysterious can’t-stop-listening package”

Anyone watching the Tudors? It’s the odd one out for me. I usually watch TV series like 24, Supernatural, Fringe, Criminal minds and so on. The Tudors is a guilty pleasure so to speak. It’s just a tremendous TV series with so much drama and flair. It’s about the life of King Henry VIII, one of the most controversial reigns in British history. The fans of the show have also noticed the music by Trevor Morris which fits the show perfectly. It has a lot more drama than you would think. The first season was kind of a slow start, but it’s still a great soundtrack on its own. Now get ready for season 2 of The Tudors.

Track List

1. The Tudors – Main Title Theme (*****)

2. And So It Begins (*****)

3. The Shape Of Things To Come (*****)

4.       Poisoning The Soup (***)

5. Katherine Stripped Of Her Jewels (*****)

6.       Suspicions Arising / Boiled Alive (****)

7. Anne Made Marquess (*****)

8.       Plotting To Kill Anne Boleyn (***)

9. Henry & Anne Conceive A Son (*****)

10. Anne’s Coronation (*****)

11.   Nothing On Earth Shall Spoil This Day (****)

12.   Henry’s Changing Emotions (****)

13.   Cardinal Fisher’s Discovery (***)

14.   An Opportunity For Loyalty (****)

15.   More Refuses To Take The Oath (****)

16. More Is Jailed (*****)

17. Cardinal Fisher Is Executed (*****)

18. More Prays (*****)

19. Thomas More Is Executed (*****)

20.   Dreaming Of Killing Anne Boleyn (****)

21. Anne’s Premonition (*****)

22.   Smeaton’s Sad Violin (***)

23. Farewell To A Queen / Katherine Dies (*****)

24.   Henry Meets Jane Seymour (****)

25. Henry Injured (*****)

26.   Cromwell’s Shifting Sands (***)

27. Anne Miscarries Her Baby (*****)

28.   A King Reborn (****)

29.   The Investigation Of Anne Boleyn (****)

30.   Confessions & Arrests (****)

31. Smeaton Is Tortured (*****)

32. These Bloody Days (*****)

33. Anne Begs Henry (*****)

34.   Anne Is Arrested (****)

35.   The Sword Of Calais (***)

36. Anne Dreams Of Her Childhood (*****)

37.   Aren’t You The King Of England? (****)

38. Anne’s Final Walk (*****)

39. Henry Eats The Swan (*****)

40. The Tudors – End Credits (*****)

Season 2

Season 1 was just a starter dish with around 45 minutes of music. Welcome to season 2 with 1 hour 18 minutes of music. I love that they included the excellent trailer and sneak peek music that was featured for the promos. That’s the track 2 and 3 by the way. It is definitely a more dramatic season and the music has gotten a bit more serious as well. The darker side of The Tudors is clearly sounded through really dramatic orchestration, some more choirs and extremely heavy percussion. The new main theme and also the ending theme are great inclusions to a wonderful score. It’s definitely an improvement upon season 1 in many ways.

The themes have changed a bit from the first season. The Anne Boleyn theme, as excellent as it was, is surprisingly gone missing. Also the excellent Woolsey theme is now gone, understandably. It’s a darker world, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of thematic stuff to get you excited. Here’s a great idea Trevor Morris got for the second season. Why not use the excellent intro theme? Yes why not? So Trevor Morris decided to use it a lot more in many of the cues on the second season and I have to say it’s a great choice. Because that theme is so great, it could carry the whole season on its own, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Dramatic and Darker

Trevor Morris has got the balance right this time. The first season was good, but ultimately was a little light. Season 2 is more serious, more dramatic and much darker. The underscoring has come to life and a great example of this is ‘Katherine Stripped of Her Jewels’ which is a strong and dark them describing a rather sad moment. The lonely violin and the subtle and dark underscoring make this a great cue. As I mentioned earlier, Trevor Morris has opted to use the main theme in many cues this season and also in this one.

Even in happy moment’s like when Henry and Anne finally conceive a son there’s a very dark mood. The cue ‘Henry & Anne Conceive a Son’ is incredibly creepy with some female ooh’s and aah’s throwing the mood from the very beginning. Of course when thinking about the circumstances, there should be creepy voices. This is what Trevor Morris does so well this season, and I give him a lot of credit for the season to become so great. There are many great moments to enjoy here like the thunderous ‘Thomas More Is Executed’ and the sublime and dramatic ‘Anne’s Premonition’. It’s not all percussion and vocals however as the cue ‘These Bloody Days’ goes to show (there are many more like it). It’s a cue with strong underscoring and a lonely violin which plays on the tones of sadness.

Conclusion

You like getting chills when listening to music? I know I do and one of those cues are ‘Anne Dreams of Her Childhood’ which is a mesmerizing piece of music. I will miss Anne dearly, both as a character and in a musical sense, but knowing Trevor Morris, I don’t have to worry too much. Already having seen most of season 3, I know the music in there will be just as great as season 2. There’s so much drama and excitement here, and it’s all wrapped into this mysterious can’t-stop-listening package. It is better than season 1 in every way is a great gem among TV scores.

Listen to The Tudors Season 2 by Trevor Morris below:

Find more videos like this on Soundtrack Fans

Other articles of interest:

• Soundtrack Review: True Blood (2009)
• Soundtrack Review: Caprica (2009)
• Soundtrack Review: Crash the Series (2009)
• Soundtrack Review: Prison Break Seasons 3 & 4 (2009)
• Soundtrack Review: Heroes the Score (2009)

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