"The Gilded Age" theme song discernibly lacks the piano part that lent a warmth and grace to John Lunn's signature melody for "Downton Abbey." This is the first clue that Julian Fellowes' latest period drama is a different creature from his PBS showpiece, announcing the story's soul with forceful a string section in furious conversation with baritone brass swell.
One side is as demanding and impertinent as new money. The other is the voice of a dug-in, unmovable establishment. But the strings wash over the brass like the waves on an incoming sea storm.
