Winter\\\\'s Heart

No matter the lack of critical popular acclaim for director Akiva Goldsman's adaptation of Mark Helprin's novel Winter's Tale, the Hans Zimmer/ Rupert Gregson-Williams score is utterly worthy of the film, and also the novel itself. Full of classical and electronic textures, ambiences, and melodies that wed both the lyric themes of 19th century folk and classical music to the early 20th, these 14 cues are, by turns, delicate and dramatic, melancholy and romantic, spare and elegant. As a piece of music it stands on its own. The final track here is singer/songwriter K.T. Tunstall's "Miracle," written with A.R. Rahman specifically for the film. While it is dramatically different from the rest of the score, since it is the final track, it sums up the transcendent nature of the narrative.

Setting the scene for Christmas in an uplifting and inspiring programme of seasonal favourites. "Unaccompanied choral singing comes no better than this - in blend, accuracy, precision and commitment…" (The Guardian)

Winter's Gate is a concept album that is made of one epic 40 minute song. The album is built around a short story Winter's Gate (Talven portti in Finnish) by Niilo Sevänen, which won awards and nominations in Finland back in 2007 and 2008. It's a story about a group of Vikings who set out to find a fabled island west from Ireland, even though the winter is drawing near. Insomnium have proved yet again why they are kings of this genre, creating something that is immersive, transformative, ambient and most importantly - complete. Winter’s Gate not only hits every single mark set before it, but tramples them into the carpet underneath it. It is one of the greatest works of Insomnium to date, and is a prime example of a band that has flourished on its strengths while ironing out its flaws to produce the powerhouse that this album is.