本帖最后由 c1jang 于 2021-11-9 13:52 编辑
下了听听。谢谢!
配乐作者的网站上有关于这个项目的一些背景资料: https://www.jeromeleroy.com/the-ideal-city
Jerome Leroy came into the project through music supervisor Fei Yu, who has been helping bridge the gap between Chinese productions and composers based in the United States. Fei explained that Liu Jin, The Ideal City’s show director (who functioned as the showrunner), wanted a subdued score that could easily veer into dark, brooding moments, uplifting escapades, or more emotional bits as needed by the storyline. With that in mind, Leroy provided an engaging, captivating score built around a modern palette that effectively fits the contemporary, office politics vibe of the series.
“Early on, it was important for the music to underscore the drama without getting overly melodramatic,” Leroy explained. “We settled on scoring mostly for strings and piano, although some scenes required the music to go more somber and suspenseful (making use of electronic pulses, for example) while others were lighter and quirkier, calling for jaunty hand percussion and upbeat rhythm section (piano, upright bass, drum set, and acoustic or electric guitar).”
For practical reasons, the creative back and forth communication was done between Leroy and Fei, who gave him specific directions in terms of what the director’s wishes were. “After I submitted the music, she would get into lengthy review sessions with Liu and gave me feedback afterwards” said Leroy. “He has a very clear idea of what works and what doesn’t, which is always wonderful. It’s unfortunate that the language barrier complicated the process somewhat. So I guess you could say that I was communicating with the director through music itself – and after all, isn’t that the international language?”
Unlike the US, where television episodes are sent to post-production on a weekly basis (usually totaling 24 episodes over a 9-month span, for a primetime show), on this Chinese project Leroy found the process much more intense. The episodes were sent to him in bulk, sometimes as many as eight at a time, and the total number of episodes went far beyond what a typical season is on American TV (The Ideal City is spread over 40 episodes). “I had to write more than three hours of music in less than eight weeks, which is massive,” said Leroy. “To that end, I put together a small team of additional composers, primarily revolving around my esteemed colleagues Pakk Hui and Alex Williamson, and asked them to arrange my themes and motifs to fit specific scenes, while making sure they wouldn’t stray too far from the palette Liu Jin, Fei Yu, and I had envisioned.”
“Managing those producing duties, while writing the majority of the music myself, was an exciting challenge,” Leroy explained, “but it was also taxing mentally – when time came to deliver the music for the final episode, I looked back at the previous two months and was amazed at the amount of work that had been achieved in such a short amount of time!”
In order to keep the music focused, Leroy composed specific, recurring thematic ideas and approached most of the key scenes from a musically neutral point of view. “That allowed the music to subtly push in one direction or the other based on the situation at hand,” he said. “That way, the slightest change in the flow of the music had a direct impact on the underlying emotions.”
Leroy found the character of Su Xiao to be a wonderful character who is both self-reliant as well as a person nursing honest emotions. “Musically it was key to represent the multiple dimensions of her character,” the composer exlpained. “For example, being humble about where you are in your career but at the same time being proud of what you have already achieved; knowing your place, but also fighting for your rights when the time comes; and finding the strength inside of you to carry on, yet still needing emotional support from your closest friends.”
The soundtrack album tries to showcase a little bit of each style present in the show. Leroy’s primary themes utilize compelling piano and string motifs that lend a feeling of energy, sympathy, self-reliance, and accomplishment as Su Xia’s journey runs its course. The cues “Tomorrow Is Another Day,” “Kneel Down,” “Su’s Certificate,” and the conclusive “Sun Rise” are potent musical touchstones in her story.
— Randall D. Larson
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