The Remains of the Day

Label: Angel Records
Release Year: 1993
Barcode: 724355502926
Country: UK
Product Type: CD (Pre-owned)
Score or Soundtrack: Score
Composer: Richard Robbins

The Remains of the Day (1993), directed by James Ivory and adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro’s Booker Prize–winning novel, is a poignant exploration of duty, repression, and missed opportunities. Set in post-war England, the story follows Stevens (Anthony Hopkins), a devoted but emotionally restrained butler who reflects on his decades of service to Lord Darlington and his complicated, unspoken relationship with housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson). Through subtle performances, measured pacing, and a quietly devastating narrative, the film captures themes of dignity, loyalty, and the personal costs of rigid self-control, earning widespread critical acclaim and multiple Academy Award nominations.

Richard Robbins’ score for The Remains of the Day mirrors the film’s restraint and emotional undercurrents with music that is both elegant and understated. Built around stately orchestral themes, the soundtrack enhances the refined atmosphere of Darlington Hall while quietly conveying the suppressed longing between Stevens and Miss Kenton. Robbins avoids melodrama, instead using subtle strings and piano motifs to reflect the film’s tone of quiet yearning and the weight of unspoken emotions. Much like the story itself, the music lingers delicately, its beauty lying in what it holds back as much as in what it reveals.

Track Listing

Opening Titles, Darlington Hall
Richard Robbins

Keyhole And The Chinman
Richard Robbins

Tradition And Order
Richard Robbins

Conference Begins
Richard Robbins

Sei mir Gegrüsst
Richard Robbins

Cooks In The Kitchen
Richard Robbins

Sir Geoffrey Wren And Stevens, Sr.
Richard Robbins

You Mean A Great Deal To This House
Richard Robbins

Loss And Separation
Richard Robbins

Blue Moon
Richard Robbins

Sentimental Love Story / Appeasement / In The Rain
Richard Robbins

Portrait Returns / Darlington Hall / End Credits
Richard Robbins

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