UK in Focus - page 61

Orchestral Contractor Isobel Griffiths has fash-
ioned a decorated career out of sourcing musi-
cians for international composers who come to
record in the UK. Whether they require a swing
band, a small chamber group, an ethnic special-
ist musician, a rhythm section or a large-scale
orchestra, Griffiths and her team work to
arrange all aspects of their hire.
“In this country we have the luxury of a huge
pool of brilliant musicians to call on from all
the listed symphony orchestras, chamber
orchestras, quartets and theatre musicians,”
says Griffiths. “The musicians, studios, engi-
neers, music editors, orchestrators, conductors
and choirs are all world class.”
This view is shared by some of the world’s
leading composers, including Hans Zimmer.
“Because of the film music traditions dating
back over the last 100 years, the choirs are sec-
ond to none, the brass players are amazing and
the orchestras, such as the LSO and Royal Phil-
harmonic, are outstanding,” he says.
Emmy and BAFTA winner George Fenton
points to the diversity of musical talent in the
UK: “From baroque to country, [UK] musicians
can magically play it all.”
The composer, who recently completed
scores for Nicholas Hytner’s
The Lady in the Van
and the West End version of
Mrs Henderson
Presents
, adds: “When I scored
Sweet Home
Alabama
with a rhythm section based here in
the UK, some people thought I was crazy not to
go to Nashville but when you listen to the
score, you can’t tell. That’s how good the musi-
cians are.”
UK-based composer Daniel Pemberton, who
Musicians and Orchestras
is currently working on Guy Ritchie’s
Knights of
the Roundtable: King Arthur
, also sings the
praises of the UK’s unique players.“I loved find-
ing these fantastic British players, who I fully
used on Guy Ritchie’s 1960s-centric
The Man
From U.N.C.L.E.
, and being able to incorporate
them into the score,” he says. “Britain punches
above its weight on the global scale with its
creativity and artistry. It’s accepted here to be
individuals, to try new things.”
David Arnold, who starts work on the latest
Sherlock
TV series this summer, along with the
Zach Galifianakis comedy
Keeping Up with the
Joneses
, credits the exceptional training
received by UK musicians.
“Whether they play in one of the orchestras
such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal
Philharmonic, Philharmonia or they are a free-
lance musician, they are able to attend a ses-
sion and start playing without having seen the
music before,” he says.“They also know the pic-
ture is going to change, so you might be chang-
ing notes, chords or dropping instruments out
and adding things in. It’s a bit of an assault
course for a player. We sometimes take for
granted how excellent they are.”
Scottish composer Craig Armstrong, who has
completed work on Oliver Stone’s
Snowden
and
Thea Sharrock’s
Me Before You
, cites London
Sinfonietta as yet another rare offering in the
UK’s musical landscape. “I have worked with
orchestras around the world and it is incredibly
hard to find musicians who can play both clas-
sical and film music,” he says.
Steven Price also praises London’s diverse
orchestral offerings, having used musicians
chosen by Griffiths for
Gravity
, for which he won
an Oscar, as well as the Philharmonia for David
Ayer’s second World War drama
Fury
.
“I love the experience of hearing what you
played come back at you in a way you could
have never imagined,” he says. “That is part of
the reason a lot of American composers like to
record in the UK.”
Technicians
Alongside the musicians, UK technicians —
including orchestrators, copyists, music editors,
Pro Tools operators, programmers and engi-
neers — ensure recording sessions are seam-
less and the musicians sound their best.
“Music is the last deliverable in the post-
production process,” says Abbey Road’s Gillott.
“It can be very stressful.You want a strong team
of people, who know what they’re doing.We are
very lucky here at Abbey Road that we have
engineers like Peter Cobbin, who have such a
vast wealth of knowledge in the maintenance
of vintage instruments as well as sound engi-
neering. Each engineer can interpret what the
different composer needs and wants.”
Indeed, Los Angeles-based Clint Mansell is
so attuned to his engineers, Geoff Foster and
Matt Dunkley, that he takes them on his travels
when he is not able to record at AIR Studios.
UK composer Harry Gregson-Williams also
lives in Los Angeles but makes every effort to
record in London — most recently for Ridley
Scott’s
The Martian
, as well as
The Zookeeper’s
Wife
starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl,
and Ben Affleck’s
Live by Night
— thanks largely
to the talent of our technicians.
“I love to come back to Abbey Road for the
sound of Studio One and the engineer Peter
Cobbin,” he says. “They have a microphone col-
lection that is second to none, plus I went to
school with many of the musicians and techni-
cians [St John’s College, Cambridge, and Stowe
Music School, Buckinghamshire].”
It is this wealth of talent across the board,
working together to create incredible music,
that attracts so many film and television scores
to the UK, says Pemberton. “There is nothing
better for a composer than being surrounded
by a team of people who are better than you,
whether it’s the sound recordists, mixers or
engineers.”
UK
from baroque
to country, uk
musicians can
magically play
it all
George Fenton, composer
Orchestral Contractor Isobel Griffiths
59
UK Soundtrack
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