Composer’s blog – musical aims Wednesday, 4 March 2009

Next I had to look at how the music could compliment and enhance Helen and Adam’s brilliant job on the animation. My main concern was that the ‘stakes’ needed to rise now that Aileen’s journey was well underway. Also, with so many unanswered questions I really wanted bring out a sense of ‘mystery’ in this episode.

The use of a bass drum really helped to raise the tension as it’s used a lot in epic scores – composers such a Wagner and Mahler often used the bass drum to create moments of tension or grandeur. When Aileen goes to Iowa she travels a long distance, racing against the clock to free her mother from prison and clear her name of any involvement with the theft. I wanted the music to reflect the size of her journey and the potential hazards she may face ahead. In the Doc Rebus’s Bookshop scene the music had to become more mysterious but at the same time reflect the lack of subtly in Aileen’s questioning style!