Angels In America

Original score composed by Thomas Newman.
The producers of HBO's adaptation of Tony Kushner's epic play ANGELS IN AMERICA showed wise judgment in calling on Thomas Newman to score the star-studded production. The award-winning composer--veteran of sagas such as THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, AMERICAN BEAUTY, and ROAD TO PERDITION--knows his way around the musical expression of human emotions. He writes stunningly eloquent music that demands attention, yet never overwhelms the accompanied images. Newman rises to the occasion and provides music that perfectly matches the scope of this monumental work. Many of the themes are rendered for orchestra and voices, and are essentially romantic in nature, as exemplified by "Angels in America (Main Title)," "Pill Poppers," and "Broom of Truth." However, he also utilizes unusual instruments, as well as electronic devices, to achieve some exotic textures and otherworldly effects as in "The Ramble," "Quartet," and "Mauve Antarctica." Much of the music is tinged with melancholy or conveys foreboding and desolation, but even at its grimmest or eeriest, there always seems to be a hovering sense of hope. The soundtrack also includes recordings of Duke Ellington's "Solitude," "A Closer Walk with Thee" performed by George Lewis and His Ragtime Band, and the uplifting gospel tune "I'm His Child" as sung by Zella Jackson-Price.