Recording at Abbey Road Studios with the RPO: Part Two

By: Chris Egan

Date:: 13 Dec 2011

Chris Egan has just finished recording a Cinematic Blockbuster Movie Extravaganza with the full Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (all ninety of them) at Abbey Road Studio One. Audio Network talks to the man behind the music to find out how he does such a thing…

What inspired you to create this type of score?

The inspiration is drawn from the wonderful old-school ‘Popcorn Movies’ that I’ve watched since I was a child. I’ve always written from a media composer point of view, working from a brief conveying third-party feelings and imagery.

Imagine ET, on a horse, being chased by Darth Vader.

That pretty much sums up my brief for this project.

What is the desired outcome for the audience?

I want people to feel excited. It has to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, otherwise there is no point. Like any great themes you have to be turned on; you have to follow the journey of the piece. When the orchestra are playing full-out you need to take the audience on that adventure with you.

What sort of instruments will we be listening out for?

My palette is the traditional symphony orchestra; however I use more than the traditional amount of instruments. In the brass section for instance, there are six French Horns instead of four and four Trumpets. I’m even using two harps instead of the usual one. You can get infinite colours by using different combinations and techniques; it’s endless. Each instrument creates such a breadth of different sounds you can create any mood.

How complicated is it to prepare something like this?

It is extremely hard to write music this intricate. When recording a huge symphony orchestra, the audience are expecting it to sound massive. You have to make sure you deliver with every note.

For this project alone, there will be around two thousand bars of music spread over five thousand pages and not one of those notes can be wrong.

Balance is also a really big thing for me. When we record ninety players in a room, there’s not much we can fix in the mix. What we record on the day is pretty much how it is going to sound. If it needs to be heard on the recording, then it needs to be heard over everything else on the day.

Who is your musical hero?

I’m a huge John Williams fan. You only have to hear a few notes of any of his famous themes and you know exactly what piece they’re from. Can you imagine Indiana Jones without that music behind it? No, it’s inseparable. Jaws is another example. It takes a lot of genius to come up with something so simple, menacing and synonymous.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

I’m hoping it hasn’t happened yet. I’m very lucky to have such a diverse career. When I was 12 I wanted to spend my life being a professional musician, playing in, and maybe even orchestrating West End Musicals. By the time I was 18 I was already playing piano in West End Shows such as The Lion King. By the age of 25 I was lucky enough to be an established arranger, working on amazing projects with extremely talented people (one of my favourite gigs was re-arranging and orchestrating Shirley Bassey’s music catalogue for a major Television Special). Whenever I feel I’m getting close to reaching my current ambition, I move the goalposts further away.

Best Rewards?

For me, the best buzz you can possibly get in this industry is when you stand in front of a ninety piece Orchestra and they play your music for the first time; there isn’t a better feeling. If they could bottle that, it would sell for millions! I wish everyone in the world could experience it. But a composer works really hard for that moment, pouring over pages and pages of scores and staying up all night.

It’s that winning the Monaco grand prix moment

What would be your dream recording session?

Frank Sinatra at Capitol Studios.

How do you feel if someone uses your music in a way you didn’t envision it?

I am creating a scenario in my head when I’m writing music. If someone chooses to interpret that in another way then great, if it fits their requirements.

What is your favourite use of your music?

I don’t really have a favourite. Usually I just tend to think ‘wow, that’s interesting’ or ‘OK, that’s a little weird’. I was watching Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson driving a Ferrari around, using some of my music, which I had never envisaged being used over those images, but oddly, it worked.

What made you want to do what you’re doing?

There are two pieces of music that made me want to be a Composer/Arranger. The last five minutes of E.T. and Johnny Mandel’s arrangement of Here’s To Life (Shirley Horn). I heard both of these pieces in the same week and was just blown away by how powerful music could be if executed perfectly.