Score composed by: Dario Marianelli 
Released on CD by: Screen Archives Entertainment, 2009
Agora is a historical drama film directed by Alejandro Amenábar, written by Amenábar and Mateo Gil, and starring Rachel Weisz and Max Minghella. The movie tells the story of astronomer-philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria (Weisz) and her relationship with her slave Davus (Minghella), who is torn between his love for his mistress and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity.
Make no mistake, Agora is a visually, but also musically stunning film with strong performances, grimly portraying religious fanaticism of the destructive degree. Set to fight science and any form of free, creative thinking as well as innocent women children and men, when power and money change hands, be it in the control of Christians or Jews or anyone else, the end-result is always a vile rape of the human being, humanism and civilization.
No matter who the players are each time, the nasty game of twisting the books of each religion in order to justify abominable plans for gaining authority and might, have always been equally disturbing and shameful throughout the course of mankinds’ history. A movie as well-timed as ever. Amenambar’s talents never cease to captivate me.
Dario Marianelli has once again outdone himself, something i didn’t suspect he would be able to perform, at least not so soon after his classical oriented and sensitive melodies in Atonement. He’s crafted what’s perhaps his most dramatically adequate and coherent musical work to date. Although the Armenian wind instrument “duduk” combined with aesthetic female vocal singing has resulted in a major cliche in post-Gladiator film music eras, Dario manages to discover and utilize new ways of bringing out the utmost musicality from the very combination. Aided by the bold presence of an awe-inspiring, religious sounding choir that provides ethereal textures always underlined by an impressible orchestra, the composer manages the perfect cross of the musical civilizations, East and West. And does it in ways you’ll hardly locate in this or other musical genres.
With deeply profound themes leading, he never fails to underline each scene with sthenic affection and mature musicianhip. However no matter how hard one might try to describe the feelings the cross of picture-with-music create in this film - especially during the passionate final act and the pieces that accompany it (“Hypatia’s last walk” and “The Skies do not fall”), won’t be able to do justice to the actual experiene; one that needs to be felt in person in order to be truly appreciated.
Note: The score’s also nominated for BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM by the International Film Music Critics Association, THE IFMCA awards 2009.