Classic Tune of the Week: 2. Agatha Christie's Poirot (TV Theme), by Christopher Gunning (1989)

I make no secret of the fact that I'm a big fan of TV Drama, and Detective Shows in particular. My favourite of all of these is the long running ITV series of adaptions of Agatha Christie's Poirot stories, simply known as Agatha Christie's Poirot, and has been going since 1989, with all of them starring the fantastic actor David Suchet as the famous fictional Belgian detective. However, one of the other mostly regular parts of the show is Christopher Gunning's original soundtrack, lovingly and artistically crafted, while also very effectively reflecting the various moods, suspense, mystery and deadly danger that these stories weave with an expert musical talent that stands out from the crowd. I love a lot of Christopher Gunning's music, but by far his most memorable and my personal favourite is all his work on Poirot. It's a fantastic throwback to the romantic music of the early Twentieth Century, when Jazz was making its mark, but while Classical music was still very prominent in the culture of the time. Rachmaninov and Gershwin were the famous composers of the day, and a lot of Gunning's music for Poirot is a loving homage to that period, the period that a lot of the Poirot stories are set, in the mid-1930s. As a fan of this period of music myself, I loved it straight away, but I think Christopher Gunning's music stands up brilliantly on its own anyway.

I wish there were youtube links of more interesting Poirot music, than just the theme, but it is a superb introduction to the style and quality of music Christopher Gunning made for the show. Enjoy.

Agatha Christie's Poirot (Main Theme - "The Belgian Detective), by Christopher Gunning (1989)