How many times have you watched a film and been swept away by the majesty or impending fear of what is happening? It’s likely that this occurs multiple times in any great film and while there is considerable action to keep you fixated on the screen, the emoting which takes place via the music accompaniment to the visual aspect of the story is undeniable. Composer and orchestrator Sean Goldman is consumed by this. Yes, his career demands it but Goldman has found himself captivated by the power of music for most of his life.
His contributions to films such as the multiple award-winning The Grand Bolero and Disney’s Nature’s Bear Witness (currently available on Disney+) have earned him the praise of his peers throughout the industry. While you can find Sean Goldman’s musical contributions in an eclectic array of productions ranging from the History Channel’s American Pickers to advertisements for Unilever (which owns such world famous brands as Ben and Jerry’s, Dove, and others) it’s these long form films which truly allow one to appreciate the magnitude and breadth of his abilities.
Goldman was approached by Gabriele Fabbro (director and co-writer of The Grand Bolero) as a continuation of the successful partnership the two had created with the award-winning short film 8 (nominated for Best Score at the Action on Film International Film Festival, Burbank International Film Festival, and Hollywood Dreamz International Film Festival and Writers’ Celebration), and the documentary Quo Vadis 2020 (nominated for Best Score at the Solaris Film Festival), both of which are available on Amazon Prime.
As indicated by the film’s title, Fabbro needed a composer who could supply a score to perfectly complement and stand alongside Ravel’s iconic composition which is a touchstone of this film. The story takes place in Italy during the Covid 19 pandemic and centers on the relationship between two women; Lucia, an attractive but destitute mute and Roxanne, a middle aged pipe organ restorer. The setting of the film is in a historic church which amplifies the deception and desire which evolves as we discover more about these women.
Unpredictable in the most pleasing of ways, the story’s constant accomplice is the sonic personality Mr. Goldman has carefully crafted for The Grand Bolero. It was Sean’s task to widen the emotional spectrum of the film’s musical identity. While Ravel’s “Bolero” plays out bombastically on a massive pipe organ during a pivotal scene, Goldman’s “Lullaby” theme supplies the most intimate and memorably sweet moment in Lucia and Roxanne’s relationship.
Mr. Goldman describes, “It is the essential piece that binds Lucia and Roxanne and fuels the beginning of their positive relationship. This theme needed to feel deeply nostalgic but not too sad. Another aspect of this theme is that it had to be simple enough for the actress playing Lucia to learn since Gabriele would be filming her entire body, face included, as she played it. In its first scene, Lucia plays the Lullaby theme while Roxanne is just outside the church, and she comes in when she recognizes what it is. It draws them together and exposes a soft spot in Roxanne that we haven’t seen up to that point.”
Sean lent his ability to expand emotional range with his contributions as orchestrator alongside composer Ho Ling Tang’s score for the documentary Bear Witness. This documentary film was coordinated by Disney to be released alongside Polar Bear, the feature documentary that Bear Witness tracks the making of. The drama of what filmmakers go through is too often overlooked and Disney understood that an unforgiving setting such as the Arctic would offer an abundance of challenges.
The story within the storytelling, Bear Witness displays the space where production team, the Polar Bears, and nature intersect. The magnificent and at times heart wrenching score was the result of much dialogue between composer and orchestrator. Far different than the challenges of the bitter elements experienced on camera, the struggle for Goldman and Ho Ling Tang was to deliver an extraordinary score at lightning speed.
The final score for this film was recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. Also taking part in Bear Witness (among others) were Emmy Award-Winning cinematographers Jamie McPherson and Tom Walker, BAFTA Award-Winning cinematographer Howard Bourne, and Blair Underwood (Daytime Emmy Award and Grammy Award Winner/Golden Globes Nominee).
Present day finds Sean Goldman most excited about the release of The Grand Bolero Soundtrack, featuring new compositions and original orchestrations of well-known classical pieces such Ravel’s “Bolero” and moments from Wagner’s “Tristan Und Isolde.” The soundtrack was recorded on the Grand Organ of St Anastasia in Villasanta which has approximately five thousand pipes, making it one of the biggest symphonic organs in Europe. Sean was also responsible for the mixing and mastering of this soundtrack. A proud Canadian, Mr. Goldman admits that having his work recorded in locations like Italy and Abbey Road Studios are precisely the experiences he’s always desired.
Writer: Coleman Haan