Britain's Silva Screen Records has built up a considerable library of recordings of classical music and re-recordings of film scores, enabling it to assemble this commemorative compilation for release a few weeks in advance of the wedding of Prince William. There is no shortage of wedding CDs, of course, but the key word here is "royal." The selections include some of the traditional music that might be expected on any wedding collection: the Bridal March from
Wagner's Lohengrin and the Wedding March from
Mendelssohn's A Midsummer's Night's Dream, for example. But this one is notable for particularly British themes such as
Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4 and, of course, God Save the Queen. It is interesting to note the more contemporary music that has found its way into the wedding service, starting with
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu from his Requiem, a somber piece, and
William Walton's Overture and The Globe Theatre from his score for the
Laurence Olivier film version of Henry V, which William's father, Prince Charles, used for his second marriage to Camilla Parker-Bowles. Other film music relating to weddings featured here includes
James Horner's "For the Love of a Princess" from
Braveheart and
Craig Armstrong's "The Balcony Scene" from the
Baz Luhrmann-directed
Romeo + Juliet. There is plenty of music here to entertain guests at those parties to watch the wedding on the giant-screen TV before the big event, as well as music that future brides may employ on their own big days. ~ William Ruhlmann