With the Netherlands being a small country, only a little music for media gets released, and when it happens, you should not expect a full orchestral score most of the time. With budgets being tight in this small country, most scores are performed by a handful of instruments, with sometimes the addition of a small string ensemble for extra emotional support. One of these kinds of scores is the music for the TV show Máxima, currently airing on the Dutch streaming platform Videoland. The show tells the story of Máxima Zorreguieta, an Argentinian woman who is currently the Queen of the Netherlands. The series has been referred to on the internet as the Dutch version of the popular Netflix show The Crown. As with this Netflix show, it is important to note that the story blends historical events with fiction.
The music for this series is written by the Dutch composer duo Fons Merkies and Laurens Goedhart. I cannot believe it has taken me until now to review a score by them because Fons Merkies has written over 150 scores in his career. Goedhart also has a steady career, which started with an internship for Merkies, but he has been his co-composer for the last decade.
The music Máxima stands out to me because of the clever use of Argentinian influences and instruments, which are beautifully integrated into a wonderful melodious score. Even people watching the show, without any knowledge of film music, would pick up on the accordion sounds, an essential instrument for Máxima that famously brought her to tears during her wedding ceremony when she married Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, who is the current Dutch king. Other Latin-American influences can also be heard, such as rhythmic clapping with the hands and the Spanish guitar, with “Prince” and “Not a Big Thing” as great examples. All in all, the music for Máxima is simply a delightful listening experience.
Listen or buy
- Buy this soundtrack digitally from Amazon.com or Apple Music
- Listen to this soundtrack on Spotify
Tracklist
The highlights are in bold.
- Not a big thing (01:18)
- Feria de Abril (01:45)
- First sparks (00:54)
- Supersonic Concorde (00:59)
- Now she knows (01:02)
- Prince (02:06)
- Visiting his parents (01:36)
- Time for some action (01:40)
- He’s never been so in love (01:10)
- Hit! (01:03)
- Nothing to hide (02:00)
- Checkpoint (01:06)
- Speculation (01:34)
- Etiquette (01:00)
- Ik mis je (01:51)
- History lessons (00:51)
- Chased (01:22)
- Learning, continued (00:50)
- Paternal connection (01:10)
- Thank you (00:55)
- Don’t come after me (01:12)
- Fifth floor (00:40)
- Catching fish (01:29)
- Icecream (02:11)
- Make some calls (00:45)
- Old friend (01:09)
- Ik hou van jou (02:37)
- Aanvallen (01:50)
- Wrong (02:14)
- He should have known (02:19)
- You can’t come (01:30)
- Smile (02:07)
- Een beetje dom (01:50)
Total length: 48 minutes
MillStreet Films BV (2024)
