The English Patient

Gabriel Yared composed most of the music for the soundtrack of one of 1996's most acclaimed dramas, which was largely performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; John Constable (on solo piano) and Marta Sebestyen (vocals) are also featured. Yared's score is mostly typical wide-screen epic stuff–nothing special. More interesting are Hungarian folk singer Sebestyen's occasional contributions. A few period pop/jazz cuts by Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, and Fred Astaire are interspersed throughout, and are most likely more effective on screen than on disc, where they juxtapose uncomfortably with the orchestral instrumental pieces.

The English Patient is the original soundtrack of the 1996 Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning film The English Patient starring Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Willem Dafoe, Juliette Binoche (who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as "Hana" in this film) and Colin Firth. The original score and songs were composed by Gabriel Yared. The album won the four major soundtrack awards: the Academy Award (Best Dramatic Score), the Golden Globe (Best Original Score), the BAFTA Award (Best Film Music) and the Grammy Award (Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television).