William Tell

William Tell is a 2024 epic historical action film written and directed by Nick Hamm, based on the play of the same name by Friedrich Schiller, and starring Claes Bang.  I was excited to get the opportunity to score the sort of sweeping epic I had loved to watch when growing up, and Nick’s film was a hugely enjoyable musical challenge.  It was mostly orchestral, rousing and melodic at times and aggressive at others, and was recorded in Glasgow in May of 2024 with the National Orchestra of Scotland.  I had started by writing a number of thematic suites, which I then shared with the filmmakers, and it was fun seeing how those themes entwined as their characters did in the movie.  It was mostly well received, being an enjoyable throwback kind of movie.., the sort “they don’t make any more!”.  Recording in Scotland was a great experience, with the brass sessions being particularly memorable,  One 7 minute action cue was treated by the players as a kind of personal challenge, and hearing them give it their all was an exhilarating moment for everyone in the control room.