Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood on his film scoring career: “Getting access to an orchestra means you’re suddenly in a band with 48 people”
“I started by looking at the music of the ’80s that Diana would have liked, but it’s a bit of a cul-de-sac…” Jonny Greenwood is explaining his crabwise approach to composing
his latest soundtrack. Spencer, by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, is set across three unhappy days in the life of Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) one Christmas at Sandringham, and is, according to Greenwood, “weirdly like a horror film. It’s more claustrophobic and dark; all the things The Crown isn’t.”
Greenwood’s looming, atonal string scores for films such as There Will Be Blood and Phantom Thread have been rightly acclaimed, and his standalone compositions have even been performed at the Proms. Casting out the baggage of traditional orchestration from so many costume dramas, on Spencer he actively demolishes the sounds of a traditional baroque ensemble. “One at a time, while they were playing, the idea was to substitute the musicians with free-jazz players. So the music would mutate slowly, gradually shifting from one world into the next. You hear these familiar sounds – harpsichords and trumpets and kettle drums – but they’re being played by jazz musicians. I’ve got great footage
of Tom Skinner playing these two timpanis, hitting every part of them – it’s quite exciting.”
Skinner, of course, is the Sons Of Kemet drummer who also plays with Greenwood and Thom Yorke in new Radiohead spin-off The Smile. The other musicians are veterans of London’s vibrant jazz subculture: trumpeter Byron Wallen, keyboardist Alexander Hawkins and bassist John Edwards. “It’s maybe a bit heavy-handed,” Greenwood concedes, “but it felt like the music was the right combination of things. Diana is such a chaotic and colourful person among all this drab, oppressive, staid tradition.”
Although Spencer is unequivocally critical of the royal family, Greenwood is not necessarily a republican. “Who is it said that [the Windsors] are a nice, middle-class German family?” he laughs. “Getting rid of the monarchy would just be a cosmetic change, and I don’t see that France is any freer as a country than we are. It’s funny, but the most liberal European countries, like the Scandinavians and Holland, they’ve all got monarchies. I’d rather have that than a people’s president in a palace somewhere. I don’t see that that’s better – or at least, it’s a lot more boring.”
The post Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood on his film scoring career: “Getting access to an orchestra means you’re suddenly in a band with 48 people” appeared first on UNCUT.
Link to the source article – https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/interviews/jonny-greenwood-radiohead-film-scoring-career-135273/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jonny-greenwood-radiohead-film-scoring-career
Recommended for you
-
30 Watt Bass Amplifier Retro Bass 30- Compact and Powerful Amp for Professional Performances and Practice Sessions White$129,00 Buy From Amazon
-
Donner DEP-20 Beginner Digital Piano 88 Key Full Size Weighted Keyboard, Portable Electric Piano with Sustain Pedal, Power Supply$405,99 Buy From Amazon
-
Pop Back Vocal – Large unique 24bit WAVE/KONTAKT Multi-Layer Studio Samples Production Library$14,99 Buy From Amazon
-
Hercules DJ Starter Kit | Starlight USB DJ Controller with Serato DJ Lite Software, 15-Watt Monitor Speakers, and Sound-Isolating Headphones$199,99 Buy From Amazon
-
Ashthorpe Soprano Ukulele for Beginners – Pink, 21-inch 4 String Uke Starter Bundle Kit for Kids with Gig Bag, Cloth, and Picks$39,99 Buy From Amazon
-
MOSWAG 2in1 USB Printer Cable 3.28FT/1M with USB C to MIDI Cable Printer Cable,USB MIDI Cable USB C to USB B MIDI Cable,Cable,Compatible with Music Instrument,Piano,Midi Keyboard,USB Microphone$9,99 Buy From Amazon
-
Mandolin A Style Acoustic Electric Mandolins Instrument Vintage Red Sunburst Mahogany Wood for Beginner Adults, by Vangoa$149,99 Buy From Amazon
-
KAISH Black Vintage Style Guitar AMP Amplifier Handle Vinyl PVC Handle with Accessories for FD Amplifiers$13,99 Buy From Amazon
Responses