A BREAKDOWN ON THE BRIDGERTON SOUNDTRACK
The new Netflix show Bridgerton premiered last Christmas becoming the most watched series on the platform with over 82 million. This period drama, based on Julia Quinn’s novels, follows the life and love of the Bridgeton family in the English Regency era.
The show stood out to many for its glamorous costumes, ballroom dances, on-going drama and witty dialogue. However, all this was accompanied by a very unique and special soundtrack.
Bridgeton left aside the historically-correct music, which would include Mozart and Haydn and went for a more uncommon option, filled with classical covers of modern pop songs. These versions were recorded by the Vitamin String Quartet, Duomo and Bowers. Musicians recorded the score remotely from their home studios during the COVID-19 pandemic:
‘Girls Like You’ – Maroon 5 (Vitamin String Quartet)
‘Thank U, Next’ – Ariana Grande (Vitamin String Quartet)
‘In My Blood’ – Shawn Mendes (Vitamin String Quartet)
‘Bad Guy’ – Billie Eilish (Vitamin String Quartet)
‘Wildest Dreams’ – Taylor Swift (Duomo)
‘Strange’ (feat. Hillary Smith) – Celeste (Bowers)
This decision was made by director and executive producer Julie Anne Robinson, inspired by the use of classic rock songs in the 2001 film “A Knight's Tale”. Composer and pianist Kris Bowers composed and arranged the soundtrack, featuring nineteen songs. Furthermore, there are also an array of classical works corresponding to the era like Waltz from Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite No. 2. And Bethovens ‘Razumovsky’ string quartets. At the final rain scene we could hear a modern adaptation of Bach’s Cello Suite No.6 done by the Gigue.
With this soundtrack, Bridgerton did an amazing job in giving us the full Regency era experience while still making it modern, relatable and a unique way to connect with today’s audience.
Written by Candela Peña