Firstly, thank you to Spitfire Audio, Netflix and Kris Bowers for organising this competition. It was a joy to work with top quality source material.
It's unlikely that many people will read this so I'll be a bit candid ...
Recently, I suffered a devastating personal tragedy. I spiralled into depression and found all my work became burdened with despair - it was very difficult to shake it off. Working on this competition helped - it gave me a sense of purpose and a temporary respite. So, a special personal thanks to the competition organisers - you helped me in ways you'll never know!
In approaching the brief for this project I felt it wasn't appropriate to use an epic orchestra and create a typical "Hollywood Style" score. Instead I chose to use a chamber orchestra with the addition of a harpsichord to add period colour. The result is more intimate, delicate and nuanced which, I felt, was more in keeping with that era and the series' production design.
I also opted for composing a bespoke score rather than dropping in an existing composition and simply "ducking" the dialogue - that would have been too easy! Given that the scenes are very dialogue heavy it was an enjoyable challenge composing around the dialogue and, in many instances, using its metre to inform the composition. While writing an engaging piece of music is relatively straightforward, a fundamental part of a score composer's role is the ability to enhance the dialogue and knowing when to step back.
One of the things I really enjoyed about Kris Bowers' score was his use of contemporary material in a way that's almost post-modern. I wanted to acknowledge that but, copyright being what it is, I had to opt for a "safe" alternative - Petzold's Minuet in G Major. Not only was this tune used in a highly successful pop song ("A Lover's Concerto" by The Toys in 1965) it's also a nod to Prince Friedrich's Prussian heritage.
Overall, I wanted my score to be elegant, frothy, engaging and diverting; sometimes a little tongue-in-cheek and true to the character of the series which is, after all, essentially a Regency romcom. And a great one at that!
Thanks again for the opportunity.
#mybridgertonscore
www.graemehindmarsh.com