The authors of music for action films and blockbusters are often reproached for excessive work for the public and even in pop, but it is difficult to argue with the fact that the talented work of the composer gives the film additional emotional depth and allows the most daring fantasies to be realized. The works created by them are breathtaking, and the viewer, while watching, is immersed in the atmosphere of something alarmingly great and large-scale.
Howard Shore and The Lord of the Rings
Howard Shore is perhaps the most award-winning North American film composer. In total, he has written soundtracks for more than 100 films and was awarded an Honorary Officer of the Order of Canada for his outstanding achievements in film and music. The maestro’s track record includes collaborations with Martin Scorsese, David Cronenberg, David Fincher and many other outstanding directors. Howard Shore’s greatest achievement to date is working with Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings. For the epic musical canvases for the fantasy saga, the Canadian received three Grammys – and that’s not counting three Oscars and two Golden Globes! According to the maestro, it was his most coveted, but also the most difficult job in his life.
The Last Kingdom
Eivør’s shamanic music, at the intersection of folk, jazz and electronics, is characterized by melancholy and mysticism familiar to Scandinavian artists. Her songs are featured in the films Deep Sea Horizon by Peter Berg, The Silence by Martin Scorsese, the trailer for HBO’s flagship series Game of Thrones, the video game God Of War. The creative asset of the blonde Valkyrie with a voice of incredible power is a dozen albums and a soundtrack to the BBC / Netflix historical drama The Last Kingdom. The music for the latter was recorded in collaboration with the Scottish composer John Lunn. Eyvor’s voice lends incredible depth and scope to the works that served as a background to the story of the reign of King Alfred the Great of Wessex and a descendant of the noble Saxon family of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, who participated in the decisive battles for the fate of ancient Britain. That only is the song Lívstræðrir, which sounds in one of the most emotional scenes of the second season of the series, when the main character and the abbess Hilda reunite after the release of Uhtred from slavery.
Johann Johannsson and Arrival
Icelander Johan Johannsson had every chance to become one of the most successful composers of our time. In 2018, he passed away, leaving behind ten unlikely conceptual soundtracks and as many solo albums. The most notable in his career were soundtracks for three films directed by Denis Villeneuve, as well as music for the films “Mandy” and “Stephen Hawking’s Universe”. For his work on the latter, he received a Golden Globe Award. Johannsson’s main composer’s success was the soundtrack to the drama Arrival by Villeneuve, recorded using analogue media. In the process, the Icelander studied concept art for the film. Seeing the sketches of the circular patterns that aliens communicate with in the film, he thought about sound loops. They were used in the middle of the 20th century to distort the sounds of classical instruments. Johan used a similar method and recorded the piano on tape, processed it and got a uniform hum, and overlaid with a human voice and noises.