[Fanny]

Probably Johan Sderqvist and Nicklas Schmidt since I’m a huge fan of the Department Q scores and movies.

Johann Johannsson is probably the next one on my list, as a fan of Mandy.

[Thor Joachim Haga]

I, too, love MANDY. It’s rather unique in Jóhannsson’s oeuvre. “Forging the Beast” is a wonderful track!

Nicklas Schimdt is an interesting pick, I know him a little bit.

[Thor Joachim Haga]

One of the greatest Nordic composers, Per Nørgård, died three days ago, age 92 (he was born the same year as John Williams). While I’m familiar with BABETTES GJESTEBUD, I haven’t really checked out his other film scores or concert works. But I’ve heard bits of the latter in various classical quiz shows on TV over the years. Any recommendations by our resident classical buffs? Sigbjørn? Nick?

[Sigbjørn]

Can’t say I’m familiar with him, but there’s a box of his symphonies on Dacapo.

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/8-sinfonien/hnum/10943958

[GerateWohl]

I am afraid, the only album of a nordic composer that I own are The Bermann Suites of Erik Nordgren.

There is for sure a lot to explore.

[Sigbjørn]

My top recommendation:

[GerateWohl]

Is on the playlist.
Starts off with a pretty foxtrott.
Nice.

Childhood memories?

[Sigbjørn]

Indeed. It’s from a classic 70s puppetry family film, it even inspired the pod race in The Phantom Menace. 😉

[Thor Joachim Haga]

So they say.

But yes, a classic.

[Thor Joachim Haga]

Knut Avenstroup Haugen has just released his score for the videogame DUNE: AWAKENING. I really like what I’m hearing. The album is perhaps 20 minutes too long, but nothing a little whittling can’t fix. Check it out!

[Thor Joachim Haga]

…and here’s my review, if you still haven’t checked it out: https://celluloidtunes.no/dune-awakening-knut-avenstroup-haugen/

[Thor Joachim Haga]

Hey Mark, if you’re reading:

I’ve currently reached you in my complete collection walkthrough. Listening to your lovely, Bernard Herrmann/David Shire-ish DEN HENGTE MANNEN, and moving on to the lush, pastoral ANNE & ALET next. Are these still your only two soundtrack releases, or have there been more in the 10+ years since? I presume you’ve kept working for that Kristiansand-based film company.

[markrayen]

Hi Thor,

Thank you for the inquiry! I can confirm these are the two commercially available soundtrack releases.

I just had a quick listen to excerpts from DEN HENGTE MANNEN, which I have deeply conflicting feelings about. On the one hand, I feel it represents my best film work from the perspective of craftsmanship and for its “stoic” tendencies that must certainly have been inspired by Prokofiev and Herrmann (but also the brilliant Norwegian Ørjan Matre who’s work I was infused with at the time). On the other hand, there was not much money involved (none at all, to be fair) so the circumstance of getting the score recorded were quite horrendous. It was a miracle we actually pulled it off, something I for the most part attribute to my own youthful naivety towards the dense subject of orchestral recording at the time. I also remember our friend Alan reviewing the score on his website with the striking phrase “it sounds like it was recorded in a tent!” – which might as well have been true.

After the film’s release, my thought was that it was better to accept the offer from a small local record company to release the soundtrack with its gaping flaws than not release anything at all, and I remain skeptical about whether or not that was wise (I’ve heard from a couple of musicians who heard the score and didn’t care for it, which I suspect they may have if the recording was adequately done).

The lessons were however learned for ANNE & ALET, where it was actually Knut (with a new fantastic score you mentioned above!) who pointed me in the direction of the string section of the F.A.M.E’s recording orchestra in Skopje. This time there was money, and I took his advice to enlarge the celli and bass sections for a more cinematic sound prone to the film medium, and crafted a homogenous sound that could be easily rehearsed and would minimize things like intonation issues that might occur. Where the music for DHM was stoic, relatively complex and layered, the A&A score was far more emotional and direct. By necessity of course, but to a certain degree also by choice. The truth is I care much more for the DHM score, but that’s an enthusiasm I share with practically nobody else!

There are a couple other film related things you could check out, if you haven’t already:

BAK FASADEN (2008) was my first feature score. My skills as an orchestrator were literally non-existent, but I worked hard enough at crafting the melodic themes that I recently posted most of the score on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/markcandasamy/sets/bak-fasaden-2008

SYMPHO NOIR (2015) was loosely based on the thunderous string-motif from Vivaldi’s Summer concerto. It was an “artsy” project where the music was recorded first, and the film was scripted and filmed to match my composition. A luxury project for a composer, but I had only three weeks to write (ended up taking four and a half though) and the recording session was a brief 3-hour seance with little circumstance to evaluate or make any adjustments, which makes me a little reserved about this one as well: https://www.tvagder.no/nb/video/3725

[Thor Joachim Haga]

Thanks for the fascinating background info, Mark. I’m aware of those two other titles you mention; think I even sampled them once. But might be good to revisit!

[Thor Joachim Haga]

Currently listening to the three albums I own of Matti Bye, an interesting Swedish composer. Met him once, in 2011, I think. Shy fellow, but very kind. Mostly known for beautiful, slow, melancholic, shimmering textures, in things like FARO and A SERIOUS GAME. But then he suddenly opened up with electronics in YOUNG ROYALS in 2021. That was a surprise. But also very nice score.

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