“Manchester by the Sea” is a top Oscar contender, becoming one of the most universally adored films by critics since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The drama stars Casey Affleck as a man who moves back to his New England home in order to take care of his deceased brother’s 16-year-old son.
The score is composed by Lesley Barber and perfectly accompanies the somber film with its string and piano arrangements. The album features 16 song composed by Barber, as well as by various artists including Gerhard Kanzian and Ed Lewis, Musica Sacra Chorus and Orchestra and more.
The LP also features the haunting main theme, “Manchester by the Sea Chorale.”
“With that piece, I was really looking at the opening landscape and where we’re at with Lee when the film starts and it seemed to be right thing,” Barber told Entertainment Weekly. “It seemed to be the right fit.”
“Manchester by the Sea” reunited Barber with directer Kenneth Lonergan, they previously worked together on his 2000 film “You Can Count on Me.”
“He really gives me a lot of room to develop ideas and to create music,” she said. “Sometimes with other filmmakers, you’re checking in right away with very undeveloped sketches. But with Kenny I really felt we had a sure hand and I could develop an entire piece and send it to him almost completely finished — although we saved the string recordings until the end of the process — but I really felt that I could take a piece the full way, and that’s a wonderful thing about working with someone a number of times.”
Barber’s previous credits include composing scores for “The Little Bear Movie,” “Comeback Season,” “Mansfield Park” and documentary “The Apology.”
The soundtrack, released by Milan Records, is now available. Listen to it below.
“Manchester by the Sea” is now in theaters.
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