My main influence when making my orchestration for a movie clip from “The Pianist” was music from this movie and also from “The Schindler’s List”. In both of them the main theme is WW2 and the struggles of those times. One of Poland’s finest composers Wojciech Kilar made a piece for “The Pianist” called “Moving to the Ghetto”, which is played on the clarinet. There is a moment just after my clip ends when this piece is played yet much slower and mainly because of that it seems more sad than the normal version. I tried to make my piece a bit more sad than that, to describe the hopelessness, the tragedy of the situation and the inevitable fate of the people sent to extermination. It was not hard to have the polish flavor in my composition. At least I think it has. This piece especially influenced me when creating the final bit, when the main character is walking the devastated streets of Warsaw crying after being separated with his loved ones. Here the flute is more visible as it is only accompanied by quiet notes of a piano.
Another piece that had an impact on me was Nocturne in C-sharp minor by Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, the main theme of this movie. This piece has that nostalgia and sadness that I needed in my composition. And the piano is very present in my piece as well, partly because that was an instrument that Wladislaw Szpilman was playing. Yet my piece doesn’t change into a slightly happier one at all, when this piece has moments of hope or something similar.
I was also influenced by an American composer who made music for “The Schindler’s List”. Here’s Johnny!!! Williams of course. The main theme for this movie has such an amount of sorrow, as if Williams was one of the people who were witnessing the horror of Nazi occupation. It has a violin in it which I feel is the greatest instrument for making this “crying effect” of deep sorrow and sadness. It also have woodwind instruments accompanying the violin. I didn’t feel like using harp in my piece yet it suits perfectly John’s piece. This main theme’s influence may be spotted at the beginning of my orchestration.
Bibliography
Filmography:
The Pianist. (2002) [Film] dir. R. Polanski. USA: Universal, Focus
The Schindler’s List. (1993) [Film] dir. S. Spielberg. USA: Universal Pictures
Online resources:
‘Schindler’s List’
Internet web page at: http://www.soundtrack-express.com/osts/schindlerslist.htm
(accessed 07.03.11)
‘Wojciech Kilar’
Internet web page at: http://www.polishgreatness.com/polishculture/Music/Classical/KilarWojciech.html
(accessed 07.03.11)
