Scores for imaginary movies

• January 2022
  “Woodlands”
  Why?
  The theme appeared out of the blue at 5am in the morning. I knew I wouldn't memorise it if I'd fall asleep again, so I downloaded a sheet music app to my phone and wrote down the first eight notes.
  How?
  I added the woodwind mordents as an embellishment and low brass for the melodic answer and all of a sudden, they turned into birds and boars. This is what created the concept of the piece. About 20% into the process, I hated the arrangement. Now I think it's one of the better ones. The harpsichord is supposed to represent a huge underground fungal network connecting the trees.
• January 2022
  “The File”
  Why?
  I watched The Ipcress File for the first time. Is this better than James Bond? Perhaps. It's complementary. I loved John Barry's score—the flute, the cimbalom, the understatement. The task was clear: Do something with flute and cimbalom.
  How?
  Did something with flute and cimbalom. And a little brass section. Not understated at all. Not at all like the Ipcress File score. Well, who cares.
• August 2021
  “Phases Of The Moon”
  Why?
  I still had this theme floating around. It's probably 10 years old. Unused themes haunt you. I included it in a pretty questionable electronic track at the time. Apparently, that wasn't enough. The title is a tribute to Paul Delvaux, who painted lots of moons, which, if I remember correctly, were part of the original inspiration.
  How?
  I like the combination of piano, clarinet and accordion; it's organic and mysterious in a very unpretentious way and always reminds me of libraries. The whole thing ended up having kind of a “search for a lost book” vibe.
• June 2021
  “Stealing A Starship”
  Why?
  I always wanted to do this: write something in the style of the eighties James Horner soundtracks for the classic Star Trek movies. Very clearly, this particular piece is inspired by “Stealing the Enterprise” from Star Trek III (1984). There's also a version with the real Alexander Courage fanfare—unfortunately, it can't leave my hard drive.
  How?
  I didn't need to do a lot of listening to the Horner soundtracks; I had done this for years as a kid. The orchestration took a little as did figuring out the stereotypical harmonic movements.
• April 2021
  “This Is My Town Now”
  Why?
  I started this as a study piece to practise orchestration. Halfway into the process, I thought it would be more fun to turn this into a score. I found a video game intro ( see here; obviously the linked version comes with the original score) and reworked it to match the scenes. The merged video exists—unfortunately, it can't leave my hard drive either.
  How?
  The theme comes in three flavours: flute, viola and brass. But my favourite part is the improv piano in a bed of woodwinds.
• March 2021
  “Sunken Casinos”
  Why?
  Writer's block is a pretentious way of saying that you have nothing to say. It's the same with music. I don't know how I ended up watching advertisements for vacations in Monte Carlo; anyway, suddenly I had something to say. The muffled sound of my virtual concert piano after closing the lid inspired the underwater sound.
  How?
  There's not this one particular theme that is developed throughout the piece, just wandering around and enjoying the atmosphere. 4,000 metres below sea level. At 400 bar. Rien ne va plus.
• February 2021
  “The Scene”
  Why?
  It started out as an orchestration exercise, inspired by Mattia Chiappa's fabulous 100 orchestration techniques series. It quickly turned into some old-timey mashup detective series-like piece, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
  How?
  It already starts out with too much of everything; thick layers of strings and a fateful trumpet theme, followed by a sweet middle part and a car chase (?) with admittedly not too fast cars. One of my favourites.