Play It by Ear: Hildur's Musical Intuitions

Whether to match the mind of the ultimate social misfit or the fallout of a nuclear catastrophe, Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir keeps an ear out for the eccentric. A challenge to the predictable stirrings of television and film drama, her Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe awarded scores are born out of a self-avowed need to apprehend narratives “physically” and approach collaborations intuitively. This is particularly true of the elegiac soundtrack she produced for the drama series Chernobyl, composed solely out of mechanical noises recorded in a Lithuanian nuclear power station. Hildur’s ability to stir things up is undaunted, even facing classical narratives like that of Joker, leading director Todd Phillips to take the atypical step of shooting footage in response to her orchestral score.