Peter Davison doesn’t see obstacles, he sees opportunity. It comes at the price of hard work that is empowered by vision and creativity. The path of a modern day composer is only limited by their perception of how to implement their skill. For Peter, this has led to his work with such iconic names as Disney as well as working alongside heroes of his youth like legendary composer Danny Elfman (Oscar and BAFTA Nominated). Film scores, orchestrating live performances in Los Angeles and Vienna, composing the music to video games; all these are a chance to immerse himself in the world of music that he’s dreamt about since he was a young boy. He confides, “It’s something that is in our blood in the family. Both my parents are musicians and I have grown up being a musician. I have always written music from an early age and I don’t really know anything else. In terms of film scoring, I was a music teacher in a high school for many years. When my wife and I had our first son Arthur, I made the decision that I needed to go back to what I always loved doing, which was composing music. It wasn’t until I started getting all my first professional gigs as a conductor, composer, and orchestrator, that I realised I was up to the challenge. You really are learning on every job you do. In every relationship and every person you collaborate with there is something to learn. In seven years I have gone from working as a head of music in a high school to working with one of the most influential film composers of the last fifty years. I am really not quite sure how I actually got there, but every time I get a new gig or do something for Danny Elfman, I realise how much more I have to learn.”
Regardless of where you hear it, great music enhances your experience. The intensity of a dramatic film is multiplied, the thrill of playing a video game seems greater, the moment you share with another person is cemented in your memory. For a composer such as Peter, finding that ideal complement to what he brings musically is equally gratifying. His partnership with animator/filmmaker Andrea Love is something quite dear to him. The two collaborated on the film Tulip which is fanciful, delicate, and joyous both visually and sonically. Based on the story of Thumbelina, this enchanting film’s score contains instrumentation including strings, tub bass, recorder, mandolins, guitars, and elements of toy percussion. Tulip, the main character of the story, is kind and adventurous. The sonic personality of the score mirrors her perfectly. Tulip’s Oscar contention status is no surprise to Andrea Love’s more than two-million Instagram followers who have long supported the creativity of her animated productions. In contrast, the score Mr. Davison created for the award-winning (Best Animation at the ANIMA-Cordoba International Animation Festival) animated film Strike is up-tempo and jazzy. Rhythmically propelling the actions of a wannabe footballer name Mungo, is this score reminiscent of 70’s era James Bond films. Recorded at Sir George Martin’s iconic Air Studios, one of Mr. Davison’s favorite studios at which to work, Strike’s captivating music was recorded in the same place as that of Grand Budapest Hotel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and Casino Royal. The cast of Strike includes (among others) BAFTA nominated actor Ken Stott, Tom Turner (of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar Nominated Ready Player One), and Jordan Long (of Netflix’s BAFTA nominated series The Sandman).
Being a composer allows Peter the opportunity to delve into various parts of his own musicality and preferences. His work for the “Warped Kart Racers: Family Guy on IOS” video game provided a chance to revisit his Big Band trumpet playing days. Mr. Davison imparts, “Stylistically and technically there is a particular challenge in writing in the style of the Family Guy music. To emulate the 1950s, swing, golden era of Hollywood writing, plus maintaining the brilliance of Ron Jones, the original composer for the TV series was a real challenge. Thankfully, I am a trumpet player so I was able to record myself as part of the writing process. The solos you hear are actually mine. As this was a driving game, I had to take the Family Guy music pallete and then speed it up so it would have this quirky up beat Jazz feel that would increase in tempo. The most successful games are the ones that incorporate the brilliant stories of film and the ability to maintain the musical themes across a series of different scenarios. You are emotionally involved in the character like you are a film.”
Writer: Basil Thomson