When tasked to write new music to an already existing choreography of a ballet, a number of possibilities swirl through ones head.

Firstly, a practical one: do you follow the flow and movement of the choreography religiously with numerous sync-points and the like, in a film scoring (so-called: “Mickey-Mousing”) like manner, or do you consciously avoid the apparent pulse of the movement to juxtapose a new, and different musical atmosphere against it? Both are valid methods and can work wonders either way. In this case, also due to time constraints and a tight deadline, I chose the first option, since that’s (generally) the less time-consuming approach, and a way of working where I could start straight away, instead of bothering with spotting and making cue-sheets and a list of hit points.

It ended up becoming a rather textural and atmospheric ordeal, with a dramatic high-point and explosive timpani solo in the middle, tapering off towards the end, and then suddenly cutting off like a candle just got blown out. Written almost entirely away from seeing the recorded choreography, to my and my client’s pleasant surprise, it ended up fitting the dramatic structure of the dance like a glove, infusing it with a new meaning.