Absolute Truth

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Somehow Debbie Wiseman makes her TV music budgets go a long way. For Absolute Truth, a study of the development of the Catholic Church, she aptly centres the score around the religious musical constant--a mixed choir. Their volume en masse rings at a powerful level, and--as introduced in the title cue--is the dominant voice in her instrumental palette. The strings and woodwinds working alongside are subtle additional colours. Surpassing their contribution, however, is the regular peal of a series of bells. Again this is a traditional association that effectively places the listener upon a pew within the cavernous acoustics of a church. In stark counterpoint to the ecclesiastical, are four traditional source songs. Their African rhythms and voices demonstrate similarities in musical make-up between cultures, yet are light years apart. Since Wiseman is grossly under-represented in available material, this is an essential release showing talents beyond those of the tragi-romantic requirements of her superb big-screen scores for Wilde and Haunted.