Ramin Djawadi is well known for being the brain behind the score of Game of Thrones — a score that’s grown increasingly more complex and compelling with each new season of the show. But while the majority of fans recognize Djawadi’s name and Emmy-winning music, most of them don’t know just what goes into his work on the series.
That’s why Djawadi spoke with Radio.com about his experience creating the music of Game of Thrones, and in particular, the score of the show’s final season. Listen to the interview in its entirety below:
“Usually, I write to picture,” Djawadi explained when asked about his technique for coming up with his music. And of course, “writing to picture” is important when working on a show as visually splendid as Game of Thrones.
This is especially true of the battle scenes. One of Djawadi’s most praised accomplishments of season eight is “The Night King,” the song that plays toward the end of the Battle of Winterfell, when the Night King reaches the godswood and approaches Bran. It’s an intense moment, during which all hope seems lost, and the score captures those emotions well.
“With this particular scene, we knew that we wanted a big piano piece again,” Djawadi said. “Actually to go back to season six, it was the first time that we used the piano in the score. Until season six, we never had piano in the score. So when we used it, it was a piece called ‘Light of the Seven.’ When we used the piano, it was a big surprise to everybody and that’s something we wanted, for the listener to go, ‘wow, we haven’t heard this instrument before. Something’s happening here.'”
The season six scene Djawadi was referencing is when Cersei blows up the Sept of Baelor, another intense, high-stakes sequence.
“So now two seasons later we knew that this was another opportunity to use the piano again, and then do a call back to ‘Light of the Seven’ and then have the listener be on the edge of their seat thinking, ‘oh wow, wait, they’re using the piano again. Something’s happening.’ In this case it was the reverse effect because we just come out of 60 minutes of action music and tension music, and then we all of the sudden drop to this very minimalistic piano piece and then build from there.”
It’s probably safe to say that Djawadi’s composition had the intended effect. He’s had plenty of positive feedback in regard to his contributions to the final season, but the composer insisted that he tries not to consider the reactions to his pieces until after everything is put together.
And even though Game of Thrones is over and done with, fans can still listen to Djawadi’s compositions during the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, which will be heading to 20 cities beginning in September. It’s the third time Djawadi is going on tour, and this time, the show will include music from the final season. It will also be the first time the tour visits outdoor venues, which Djawadi is excited for.
“It’ll definitely be a little bit different simply for the fact that we’re outside,” he said. “We obviously won’t be able to have the satellite stages like we’ve had before. But the beauty is that it is outside. It’ll be a whole new experience, and I’m very excited about it because I think it’s just another way of presenting the show.”
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Fans can also listen to new compositions by Djawadi’s music on HBO’s Westworld. The composer confirmed that he’ll be back for the third season of the series, and if his work on the previous season is anything to judge by, fans should be excited about his return.
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