Mary Queen of Scots’ original soundtrack features one of the most jaw-dropping opening tracks in a period drama piece. It’s one of those tracks people stop to double-check on the name for. Max Richter‘s compositions for this particular soundtrack are unreal.
Comprised of 18 relatively short tracks, the Mary Queen of Scots original soundtrack doesn’t last even a full hour, but it’s deeply memorable, no less. The opening track, “The Shores of Scotland,” is one we could wax poetics on for hours on end. It’s a masterful, beautifully moving epic that hits with every beat in an indescribable fashion. It makes you feel for the essence of the story in every way, but it makes you wonder with its triumphant feel even without the context.
It’s the kind of track that easily makes you feel like there’s nothing you can’t do, nothing you can’t touch, quite literally with its way of moving through. It’s similar even in “A New Generation,” with slight changes in the middle that touch on something so deep, you aren’t even sure what it is. The harmonies in the background, the drums, it all feels otherworldly.
Other standout tracks are “The Ambush,” “My Crown,” “Elizabeth’s Portrait,” “A Claim to the Throne,” “Pray for Me,” and the “Finale.” It’s a carefully executed soundtrack that moves with every track so brilliantly, you’re likely going to hit replay a few times before moving on to something else.
The entirety of the soundtrack is something special without question, but the few above are utterly mesmerizing. On some rare occasions, you love an original score even more than you love the film, and that’s certainly the case with this one. The soundtrack hits different, and it beautifully captures a plethora of emotions.
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Listen to the Mary Queen of Scots original soundtrack below and tell us which tracks are your favorite.