The BBC's landmark documentary series The World at War is often seen as a landmark in television, not least because it was the first real, substantial show about the second world war, but because it was a documentary produced without taking sides - it was there to document, not to offer judgement.  Producer Jeremy Isaacs managed to secure new interviews with many key figures, and also managed to secure the services of Laurence Olivier as narrator, lending the 26-part series even more weight.  For the music he turned to Carl Davis.

Writing music for a documentary series that lasts for 26 hours is no mean feat, especially when the subject matter is as moving - and frequently upsetting - as this.  Davis needed to do something different from what is needed in drama - he needed to simply reflect the images, never comment on them or offer underlying emotion or anything like that - just provide an appropriate musical depiction of the images.  And he succeeded.  His opening theme is appropriately sombre but quite portentous at the same time, and sticks long in the memory.  About 35 minutes of episode underscores are also presented, with suites from eight episodes on offer.  Of particular note is the moving, anguished "Red Star".

Mixed in with Davis's excellent score are various speeches (from Chamberlain, Churchill, Montgomery and Eisenhower) and songs.  While the speeches work very well with the score, the songs do not.  For the most part patriotic, some may say propaganda, tunes, they are perhaps an interesting document of the time but can surely offer little of musical value to the listener today.  However, as some sort of musical document charting the second world war, the album does succeed.