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Laramie: Original Theatric Score

by Brian N.

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1.
Tabula Rasa 01:50
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2.
Homegrown 03:38
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3.
Tectonic Arrival 00:57
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4.
Live & Let Live 01:02
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5.
The Word 03:47
info
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6.
Fireside Chats 04:58
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7.
The Fence 04:32
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8.
Arraignment Facts 01:04
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9.
Media Dissent 01:00
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10.
Medical Update 01:41
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11.
Digital Ghost 01:04
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12.
Vigil Circles 01:09
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13.
Products of Society 04:01
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14.
Homecoming 02:34
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15.
Rain Elegy 01:27
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16.
Act II Closing: H-O-P-E 02:27
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17.
Snowbirds 03:52
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18.
The Shepherds' Words 02:17
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19.
Closing / Bows 06:19
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about

An original score to the Theater Company of Saugus 2016 production
With other scores I've composed (Jungle Book, Lord of the Flies, It's a Wonderful Life) my primary goal was to pinpoint emotional or active moments and highlight them or give them a musical gloss as it were. The musical score was meant to enhance those moments through paralleled intensity, instrumentation, and emotion.
Laramie was such a different approach. The project was accepted in late August and I did not begin formally composing until mid November. This was not at all for lack of ideas but an apprehension of the approach, I just felt I had to let it mentally and creatively simmer for a while. When I met with Jason, the director for the first time he said once of his underlining messages and themes of the production is hope, H-O-P-E, and this was a great launching point for me. How does one score “hope”, what does it sound like, how is it aurally created? I knew from the beginning that this music in this project would not serve the story in the aforementioned manners. I had to carefully and in a honest and sensitive manner select sounds (not just instruments) and create ambience that created a canvas for the story to be told and the audience to create their own reaction and opinions of what developing before them on the stage.
I did not want the score to simply cater to the story in the sense of “this is sad, you should feel sad, here's a weepy violin” or “this is scary so here is some brash percussion and violent strings”. It was not at all to be cinematic or melodramatic, I wanted honest and real. Just as the creators of this play had an obligation to truth and integrity in their research and presentation of the story, so did I in the music that would accompany such important and delicate subject matter. As I knew that this score would not have melodies, leitmotivs or themes in the traditional sense but moments, emotional canvases, and atmosphere, I felt it more appropriate for the music to create an emotional scene or ambience before anything happened on stage. This is no way a revolutionary method of writing as it is commonly used in film score, post-rock, classical, and theatric score music.
As I often to, part of my creative method was to immerse myself in an environment as the similar to the story and its characters. With Jungle Book much time was spent in the woods, listening to jungle sounds, and tribal chants and It's A Wonderful Life called for endless walks in the wintered streets. With Laramie I spent much time at area dives (cafes, bars, and street-side benches) reading , re-reading, and obsessing over every detail of the script. I needed time to relate and digest the story, emotions, and characters' viewpoints. I also immersed myself in music of similar tone, film scores such as “The Road” “Monster” “Sling Blade” “The Social Network”and “Road to Perdition” provided inspiration and that delicate baron ambience I was hoping to capture. Additionally the haunting and somber yet beautiful works of Sigur Ros and Ólafur Arnalds put me in the appropriate emotional and creative state to pursue this challenging project.
This project has been a true milestone for me artistically and emotionally, I am grateful to Theater Company of Saugus (in particular Amanda and Jason) for trusting me with this sensitive and important material and giving me an opportunity to do what I love most. I hope I have created a score that parallels their vision of the story and provides an enriching, engaging, and ultimately hopeful experience for the audience and listeners.

credits

released November 3, 2016

Music composed and performed by Brian N.

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all rights reserved

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Brian N. image

Brian N. Boston, Massachusetts

While primarily Classically trained Brian enjoys composing music in an array styles.

In Spring 2021, look for his highly anticipated release "A Piece of Youth". This is an album featuring 16 songs by The Smashing Pumpkins arranged for piano, voice, and string quartet ... more

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