Music by Harry Escott
Silva Screen will release on November 13th, composer Harry Escott’s Soundtrack to Abi Morgan’s superb new BBC crime drama, RIVER, exploring big-hitting subjects such as mental illness, guilt and grief. Starring Stellan Skarsgård (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan), this six part crime thriller is a flagship drama for BBCTV’s autumn season and is receiving critical acclaim across the board. Skarsgård plays a brilliant police officer whose genius and fault-line is the fragility of his mind.
“The care and attention to detail which the writer, producers and directors lavished on this show was both inspiring and intimidating. I knew I had to give it my all, which I did, and I am hugely proud to have been a part of it.” – Harry Escott
Abi Morgan’s script focuses on the emotional repercussions of detective John River’s condition: the conflicts between the world as experienced by River and by those around him. These conflicts create humour, sadness and spirituality but also confusion and embarrassment. River attempts to deal with this, to function ‘normally’. Harry Escott reflects that in an intensely subjective soundtrack, refracted through River’s experience of the world.
Says Harry of his work on River:
“I recall one of my first meetings when we were discussing a very brief scene in episode one. It was explained to me that the music needed to help the audience feel the shock of a revelation, whilst at the same time comment on the sadness River’s condition – but without being too sad or downbeat as the music also had to reflect the mundanity of this experience from River’s perspective. I knew I was in for a tough ride from that point!”
Chris Carey, Producer of River comments:
As the delicate and fragile tone of River began to take shape I felt that Harry would be worth introducing to Abi Morgan, the director Richard Laxton and the other producers Manda Levin and Jane Featherstone and was delighted that they responded in the same way I did to Harry’s work and felt as I did that he was a composer who might have a chance of getting into the delicate and elusive headspace of John River… listening to it on this soundtrack serves as a reminder of quite how involved, sophisticated and accomplished Harry’s music is.
Harry Escott is best known for his acclaimed scores for the Face of an Angel, Shame, Hard Candy, A Mighty Heart and Shifty. His music has been described as “heartbreaking loveliness” by Empire magazine.
TRACKLIST
1 Stevie’s Cat
2 Questionnaire
3 Sod Off
4 Hippopotamus Teeth
5 I’m Not Talking to You Today
6 Linda or Yoko?
7 Solve This Mr Magoo
8 So Grateful
9 The Eye of Cockatrice
10 Litany of Bananas
11 Bruno
12 He’s Coming for You
13 Finding Bruno
14 I’m A Good Officer
15 What We Want to See
16 Night Wandering
17 Go to Your Husband
18 Kid a Kidder
19 And You Say
20 I Love to Love – Tina Charles
