Get ready to meet Hildur Guðndottir, a composer who is making waves in the film industry with her unique and captivating musical language. You may recognize her work from the blockbuster movie Joker and HBO’s mini-series Chernobyl, both of which won her prestigious awards. While we all know the greats like John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Thomas Newman, and Hans Zimmer, it’s time to add a female composer to that list. Hildur Guðndottir is not only a fantastic composer but also a pioneer for female film composers.
Let’s dive into her background and explore her most recognized works. Hildur Guðndottir is an Icelandic composer based in Berlin with almost two decades of composing behind her. Growing up surrounded by music, she is an accomplished cellist and singer with a plethora of performance experience. She not only performs her own solo work but collaborates with other creatives, arranges choral music, and even plays the halldorophone (an electric cello that she helped develop).
Before becoming an Oscar-winning composer, Hildur was performing her own music as well as performing alongside her fellow composer collaborators. She worked closely with the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, co-composing in the movie Mary Magdelene and performing cello on his last solo album Orphée. She also performed on movie scores for The Revenant, Sicario, and Prisoners, and for her own solo albums.
What sets Hildur apart is her ability to use technology to create some of the most beautiful passages of music. She is at the forefront of this medium in the film industry, and her work on Chernobyl is a prime example. The industrial sounds and unique style she went with were all recorded at an abandoned power plant in Lithuania, where she observed and listened to the space before composing the score.
So why is Hildur Guðndottir’s work so brilliant? It’s her ability to listen and immerse herself in the environment, which helps her tell a story through her music. She is a true artist who deserves to be up there with the composer greats.Hildur is a master of compositional techniques that include long, drawn-out drones that slowly develop. Her ability to blend recorded sounds into the scenes makes her score for the movie so great. The music becomes part of the scenery but in the most realistic way possible. Those low mechanical rumbles, along with those high ringing frequencies, are heard in most of the score.
The helicopter scene is an excellent example of Hildur’s use of low drones. I found that watching this scene was very intense, with the anticipation of danger. The low pulsating drone heard throughout blends very well with the sound of the helicopter while also contributing to the scene’s tone.
When the plane crashes, you hear the sounds of the crash in conjunction with some higher drone sounds. These higher frequencies again reflect those sound effects of the helicopter’s demise. It’s as if Hildur is adding even more color and depth to those sound effects.
While it lacks rich harmony and memorable melodies, the simplicity and slow development of the material apply that realism to the sound environment. Furthermore, the emotions of fear, tension, and sadness match Hildur’s sound like no other.
If you notice throughout, the music doesn’t feel invasive. It’s very subtle and beneath the surface. There is always this subterranean humming like something is waiting to erupt. While the eruption has already happened, it’s more linked to the human tragedy that comes after.
Her handling of these drones is pretty great. While it may sound like a simple sound, she hones in and focuses on this powerful sound’s subtle changes and qualities. She sometimes allows the soundtrack to gel with the scenes’ sounds, which can be greatly effective. It adds extra tension and acts as a base for the music to grow to a striking moment.
I found this scene particularly harrowing. Hildur’s score writing even more heightened this. Again the low pulsating drone with the screeching tone above compliments the hosepipe sounds.
The music starts to change as soon as they make their way to the roof. The low drone makes a more violent sound, like a growl. It gradually intensifies with the constant high-pitched scream until all that’s left is that high tone. This moment lands when the firefighter realizes what he is looking at.
The stillness and simplicity work hand in hand for such a jarring scene.
Film composers all take different approaches to a movie score. In this case, Hildur’s first conversation with director Todd Phillips required music before filming had started. Interestingly, this approach is the interpretation of the script only from text. Taking those visuals away makes the approach more emotionally driven from the composer’s POV. Returning to the story of the Joker, it is more of a character study of the main protagonist Arthur.
Collider Interviews spoke to both Hildur and Director of Photography Lawrence Star and mentioned how the movie serves the opposite of the idea that a film needs more action. It’s a “human movie with real actors and no CGI.” The music highly reflects this, and here’s why.
Those who have seen the movie know about this poignant scene. I get chills every time I go back to it. What I particularly find notable is that this music was written before filming this scene. Hildur’s music really leads that scene to life, dictating the pace. The very simple cello line sounds so alone.
If you listen closely, it alternates only between two notes. Beneath this is a set of strings that provide harmony, starting with lower strings. This gradually thickens in texture and dynamics. Once it cuts to him walking through the corridor, the orchestration gets larger.Get ready to dive into the world of Hildur Guðnadóttir, the composer behind the hauntingly beautiful scores of both Chernobyl and Joker. In Joker, the cello acts as Arthur’s inner voice, the music he hears in his head. During filming, Joaquin Phoenix, who portrays Arthur, is listening to this music. Seeing it the other way around is pretty amazing! The larger orchestration represents the outer surroundings.
In an interview with Tim Greiving for NPR, Hildur states how the solo cello is very present in the beginning. As the movie progresses, “the orchestra gets louder and louder, and then it suffocates the cello.” The suffocation by the orchestral sounds can also represent Arthur’s inner turmoil, and it all erupts in the movie’s final act.
Overall, the movie is a slow burn. This goes the same for the score that’s embedded in the screenplay. Hildur discusses in the interview with Collider that Arthur’s thought process is linear on why he doesn’t fit into society. She mentions how she composed music that lacks harmony to represent this inner focus.
When we reach the final act, it’s as if Arthur finally understands himself. The music erupts, becomes more multi-dimensional, and is much more significant because Arthur feels complete. Lawrence Sher describes this ending as almost “operatic.”
Linking back to Chernobyl, the end credits show the real-life people involved in the disaster. The music for this section is a choral arrangement of the Ukrainian Orthodox hymn “Vichnaya Pamyat.” This is completely different to everything heard in the series, but it brings that moment of understanding, just like the final act in Joker.
The music, in general, has a lot of space. Hildur states that she wanted to give the audience an open canvas for their own interpretation. This goes the same for Chernobyl, albeit not as melodic. The moments where the music is present provide that open canvas. The slow pace of the movie also gives the viewers more time to digest those emotions, a chance for the audience to reflect on how they feel about the story.
After diving into Hildur’s two greatest works, have a listen to the soundtracks, or better, re-watch both Chernobyl and Joker. Notice the impeccable blending of sounds with the atmosphere; can you hear the power plant material in her music? Can you follow the solo cello throughout as well as the orchestral interjections?
Hildur is a composer still on the rise. I believe her sound worlds are phenomenal but also very human. She completely channels the environment; the tone she possesses sounds so raw and so real to me, like she is deeply connected to the earth. She has a remarkable ability to bring those sounds to life.
That might sound deep, but maybe choosing less melodic and straightforward tracks can be more effective than you think.
For more on music, check out these articles:
– What Makes Music Sound Happy?
– Music and Horror: What Makes Music Sound Scary
– What is Delay?
– What is Audio Distortion?
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