The Leftovers was for me one of the breakout TV shows of 2014. If you haven’t watched it, then you should and if my recommendation is not enough to entice you then take a gander at this trailer from season one:

But that’s not why I’m writing this evening, it’s because as I was watching the second episode of season two I felt compelled to reach across to my phone and imdb it solely to find out the composer of the soundtrack.

It’s surprising how a well-crafted sound can make and/or break a TV series and just how frequently the delicate, sympathetic touch of a talented composer can so deeply enhance our experience of a show; or how regrettably this skill is overlooked by the viewer, hovering just below the our sightlines.

I don’t, for example, think that Battlestar Galactica would of been quite so brilliant had it not been for Bear McCreary’s rousing soundtrack, which set the perfect pace, my particular favourite being his allegro.

Or sometimes it can just be a single moment that can define a series, where a piece of music is selected that so perfectly weds a scene – here I’m thinking of Episode 13 of the Big C “Taking the Plunge” but it still has the power to make me cry each time I watch it (see here, better still watch the series).

Or finally the fact the opening sequence to My So Called Life still plays in my head any time I think of the show, and I still think of the show all these years later, but that’s the only thing thats left a permanent imprint.

I was not surprised to find out that Max Richter is the composer responsible for the Leftovers, I knew it felt familiar in its brilliance, its poised subtlety. I think the opening sequence to the Leftovers gives you a small taste of the richness within:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTgEdghAOA

Thanks to my old friend Daniel Tóth for introducing me to Max, his music has given me many years of pleasure and will do I expect for many years to come.