Film score · 2007
There Will Be Blood
Strings that screech and twist, closer to dread than to the western. It was Jonny Greenwood's first work for Paul Thomas Anderson.
How it was made
It was the start of a long collaboration between Anderson and Greenwood. Greenwood wrote hours of music, and together they cut it down to about 33 minutes.
It was recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ziegler, with the Emperor Quartet.
What makes it special
It is a score for strings, with almost no percussion. Half the cues are played by a quartet, with or without piano, and the other half by the full string section.
"Open Spaces", the album's first piece, is high, minimal strings for the opening landscapes.
Did you know?
The Academy ruled it out of the Oscars because most of the music had not been written for the film: Arvo Pärt, Brahms's Violin Concerto and excerpts from "Popcorn Superhet Receiver", an earlier Greenwood work, are heard too.
It was, however, nominated for a Grammy.
- Music by
- Jonny Greenwood
The album
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Main themes and where they play
- Open Spaces
The opening landscapes.
Jonny Greenwood profile All films
Sources: filmtracks.com · nonesuch.com · en.wikipedia.org · rogerebert.com
Facts checked against public sources. If you spot a mistake, write to [email protected].