If you’re looking to class up your Peak TV viewing this spring, you’ll certainly want to keep “Howards End” on the dial. The latest adaption of E.M. Forster‘s acclaimed novel features a script by Kenneth Lonergan (“Manchester By The Sea,” “You Can Count On Me“), a cast featuring Hayley Atwell, Matthew Macfadyen, Philippa Coulthard, and Tracey Ullman, with the story unfolding across four episodes. It’s an accomplished miniseries that has already earned praise across the pond, and as it lands stateside, there’s one more ingredient that can’t be forgotten.
Accomplished composer Nico Muhly (“Margaret,” “The Reader“) brings his terrific talent to the score of “Howards End,” and today we’re happy to debut two exclusive cuts from the soundtrack. “Opening” and “Miscommunication” are both excellent examples of Muhly’s oeuvre, as he crafts another memorable work for this limited series. Here’s the official synopsis for “Howards End”:
Often considered E.M. Forster’s masterpiece, Howards End is the story of two independent and unconventional sisters seeking love and meaning as they navigate an ever-changing world. Academy Award® winning screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea, Gangs of New York) brings a fresh take to this adaptation directed by BAFTA winner Hettie Macdonald (White Girl, Fortitude).
Margaret (Hayley Atwell) and Helen Schlegel (Philippa Coulthard) are intelligent and idealistic young women living together with their hypochondriac younger brother Tibby (Alex Lawther) in Edwardian London. Since the death of their parents and despite their interfering Aunt Juley’s (Tracey Ullman) best intentions, the sisters lead independent and slightly unorthodox lives. After meeting the wealthy and conservative Wilcox family on holiday, Margaret forms a friendship with the older and more traditional Ruth Wilcox (Julia Ormond). When Ruth unexpectedly dies, Margaret finds herself increasingly drawn to the newly widowed Henry Wilcox (Matthew Macfadyen), a self-made businessman who inherits his late wife’s beloved country home Howards End. Meanwhile, the passionate and capricious Helen takes up the cause of Leonard Bast (Joseph Quinn), a young bank clerk who is struggling to make endsmeet, trapped by his promise to marry his alluring but vulnerable lover Jacky (Rosalind Eleazar).
“Howards End” debuts on Starz on April 8th, and the score will be available on digital and physical formats via Milan Records on April 6th.