X is for… eXtra

I know, highlighting the ‘X’ in ‘extra’ is a stretch, but X is not an easy letter in most cases – and the only composer I could find with an X last name was someone I’d never heard of. And I simply don’t have time for that right now.

So, today, I am going to talk soundtrax. (I apologize now for the obvious mis-spelling of the word to match my theme. It is making me cringe to look at it, but needs must.)

I am someone who makes playlists for things in life. My life has a soundtrack. I have a playlist that is specifically for working out. I made a playlist just for my road trip to Flagstaff when I auditioned at NAU, making sure there was at least one version of “Route 66” included. I rejoiced (quietly in my seat) when it was announced on the tour bus last weekend that our soundtrack for entering Yosemite was going to be Aaron Copeland’s Appalachian Spring. And when I was preparing a hike playlist for my short hikes in Yosemite, I ended up just listening to the soundtrack from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film (the one starring Keira Knightley and the dashing Matthew MacFadyen).

You have got to hear this soundtrack. If you have Spotify, look it up! It’s not a heavy soundtrack by any means. Each of the pieces is rather short, composed perfectly for the scenes in the film. It’s not a heavily orchestrated work, most piano and strings throughout the whole film. Dario Marianelli (who was nominated for an Oscar for this soundtrack) was inspired both by some early piano sonatas by Beethoven and the period that the book takes place. And the piano is brought to life by the master hands of pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

While I love the whole soundtrack, favorite tracks are Georgiana, Liz On Top Of The World, and The Secret Life Of Daydreams.

And Dawn. I almost forgot Dawn.