The Prestige – Original Score cover

Released 20 years ago this November

The Prestige – Original Score

David Julyan · 2006

48 min · 17 tracks

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
67 /100
Treeline
Higher than 46% of albums we've rated

Its recurring piano motif and three-part progression make a coherent, quietly tense score, though the limited harmonic and dynamic vocabulary keeps it from opening up widely on re…

What we noticed

  • A short, circling piano figure recurs under sustained strings, giving separate cues a shared musical anchor rather than turning them into full songs.
  • The tracklist is divided into The Pledge, The Turn, and The Prestige; the cues grow darker and more tense as those sections progress.
  • Long held tones and restrained dynamics keep the score subdued, with tension coming from repetition and gradual layering more than from large orchestral climaxes.
Composition 25% of the score
6/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
7/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
6/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
6/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
8/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 3/10

Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 The Pledge: Are You Watching Closely? 1:52
  • 2 The Pledge: Colorado Springs 4:15
  • 3 The Pledge: The Light Field 1:51
  • 4 The Pledge: Borden Meets Sarah 2:12
  • 5 The Pledge: Adagio for Julia 2:09
  • 6 The Turn: A New Trick 4:30
  • 7 The Turn: The Journal 2:55
  • 8 The Turn: The Transported Man 2:37
  • 9 The Turn: No, Not Today 2:32
  • 10 The Turn: Caught 1:39
  • 11 The Turn: Cutter Returns 2:13
  • 12 The Turn: The Real Transported Man 2:29
  • 13 The Turn: Man's Reach Exceeds His Imagination 2:08
  • 14 The Turn: Goodbye to Jess 2:58
  • 15 The Prestige: Sacrifice 5:15
  • 16 The Prestige: The Price of a Good Trick 5:06
  • 17 The Prestige: The Prestige 1:40

What to play next

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Reference: MusicBrainz · Wikidata