Impressions of America by Patrick Doyle - Review

Doyle’d Landscapes
Review by Edmund Meinerts

In 2012, the Scotsman PATRICK DOYLE voyaged back to the land of his ancestors, musically speaking, with his Gaelic-flavored score for Pixar’s BRAVE. Simultaneously, it turns out, he was working on a tribute to the land to which many of his ancestors migrated – not in a film score, but rather in a concept album of sorts containing fifteen different IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA. This piece was originally written to be performed by the National Schools Symphony Orchestra and has now been released a year later by Varese Sarabande to coincide with the composer’s 60th birthday. Of course, when it comes to film composers writing concert pieces celebrating America, JOHN WILLIAMS is the first name that comes to mind, but don’t expect to hear much resembling the maestro’s bright and brassy fanfares here; DOYLE’s perspective is that of an outsider looking in on America, restrained and respectful rather than proud and patriotic. For an album about America, there isn’t a whole lot of Americana on display here.

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