Composer Ramin Djawadi on how he brought House of the Dragon’s story to life with music

As a music enthusiast with a penchant for epic scores, I can confidently say that Ramin Djawadi has been a game-changer in the world of film and television composing. His work on both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon has been nothing short of extraordinary. Even when the shows themselves falter, his music stands tall, elevating the narrative with its powerful, emotional depth.

Whatever you think of Game of Thrones and prequel show House of the Dragon, everyone agrees that the music absolutely slaps. It’s composed by Ramin Djawadi, who’s been coming up with epic earworms since the start of Game of Thrones in 2011. Even when the shows come up short, the music stands tall. Take the season finale of House of the Dragon season 2, which ends with a montage of people marching to war. Fans may have wanted the show to follow up on those events, but the score almost makes it worth it.

Raphael Djawadi meticulously constructs his compositions with great care, ensuring they carry the most potent impact possible. In an atypical turn for him, during the production of House of the Dragon season 2, he was granted the opportunity to watch all the episodes in advance, which significantly aided his planning process. As he shared with IndieWire, this luxury was relatively uncommon for him: “I don’t recall ever having almost all the episodes available to me simultaneously before.” Episode 4 arrived slightly later, but even then, they showed him an early version and it was a delight to observe the overarching narrative. This advantage enabled him – using Rhaena’s (Phoebe Campbell) theme as an example – to navigate through all the episodes and compose those pieces with ease. He could foresee where the story was headed, allowing him to develop her theme effectively and cohesively throughout the series.

That meant he could develop and reuse themes with precision. For instance, take the main theme of the show, which is simply called the “War” theme. It shows up at the top of Episode 202, “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” as King Aegon mourns the murder of his young son Jaehaerys, orchestrated by Queen Rhaenyra’s husband Daemon Targaryen. That music returns in Episode 204, “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” when King Aegon takes the fight to his enemies atop his dragon. “[In Episode 2] it’s played on piano and viola and cello; it’s very small,” Djawadi said. “I call it the ‘war’ theme but there, it’s actually a very beautiful, almost romantic version of it. After the end of Episode 1, you know, what do you say musically after that? It’s a case where less is more. You see all the characters just trying to cope with what just happened.”

During the Battle of Rook’s Rest, the theme is amplified by an entire orchestra, making it sound more grandiose and threatening. In action scenes and specific settings, a variety of instruments will contribute to enriching this theme, with drums playing a significant role in its expansion. Furthermore, the change in instrumentation can transform the theme from being played on a single solo instrument to the full orchestra or the brass section, making it more robust and epic, or moving it to a lower register instead of a higher one. The tempo will also be adjusted, either sped up or broken down. There are numerous tools available for such manipulation.

Raphaël Djawadi has always enjoyed reworking themes in unique ways, a practice he started during his time on Game of Thrones. As he stated, “It’s been fascinating to revisit old themes, develop them further through various arrangements and tones, and observe where the journey takes us and what fresh elements we can incorporate.” He believes this approach adds depth to the score as it evolves with the narrative. For House of the Dragon, his focus is on creating music that highlights the widening rift between the two factions in this conflict: the blacks and the greens.

I think what’s important to remember is why they’re fighting and how much further it’s going (than either side wants). We’re trying to fix things but somehow things get further and further apart every single time.

The second installment of “House of the Dragon” has concluded, but Ramin Djawadi will return for seasons three and four, which are still some time off. In the interim, we anticipate hearing his work elsewhere. This year alone, he’s contributed to the soundtracks for “The 3-Body Problem” on Netflix and “Fallout” on Amazon Prime Video. Given his prolific nature in Hollywood, it’s no surprise that his work is highly sought after, given its exceptional quality.

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2024-08-20 17:41