As we get ready to bid farewell to 2023, let’s take a moment to look back at the year in film music, specifically music by women composers.
If you’re a regular listener to Mark Kermode’s Scala Radio show, you’ll know we’re always keen to showcase music by women – and if you’re wondering whether there’s a need to focus solely on female composers, I’ll politely point you in the direction of the shortlist for the 2024 Academy Award for Best Original Score. Of the 15 scores competing for nomination, one is by a woman – American Fiction by Laura Karpman – one is by a non-binary composer – The Zone of Interest by Mica Levi – and 13 are by men, so yes, we do still need to shout about the women who are creating bold, beautiful and intriguing film scores.
Here are some of my favourites from the past year, in no particular order:
The Lesson by Isobel Waller-Bridge: Isobel is such a skilled and varied composer, fully capable of turning her hand to any genre. She relishes musical experimentation but is also adept at creating memorable tunes, and her score for The Lesson is sharp, classy and layered. I look forward to hearing her music for Wicked Little Letters, due for release in February 2024, as I think the acerbic period comedy will be right up her street.
Body Parts by Nainita Desai: Nainita has fully flexed her musical muscles in film documentaries over recent years, with stand-out successes For Sama and The Reason I Jump, and she continued to contribute to this genre in 2023 with The Deepest Breath, for which she’s rightly receiving accolades. Personally, of the two, I preferred her score for Body Parts – also known as Sex on Screen – which was released in February, boasting moments of apparent playfulness mixed with weightier cues, reflecting the subject matter.
Sanctuary by Ariel Marx: I’ve been keeping a keen ear on Ariel Marx since I discovered her wry and at times bonkers music for 2021’s Shiva Baby, and I was really taken with her score for the psychological thriller Sanctuary. At times sweet, other times brash, it’s an unpredictable yet cohesive score encompassing strident strings and the occasional jazzy freak-out. I haven’t seen the film but I feel like I have because the music conveys so much and I particularly like the slightly off-kilter conclusion in the title track.
Anything by Vanessa Garde: The Spanish composer was a new discovery for Mark Kermode and me this year, and she’s clearly keeping busy because her 2023 score releases include El Favor, ¡Vaya Vacaciones!, Venus, Kepler Sexto B and Mari(Dos). I haven’t seen any of them but the genres range from family comedy to horror, and I’ve been really taken with Kepler Sexto B AKA Kepler 6B, the story of a young girl meeting an old man who believes he’s an astronaut marooned on a distant planet. The music feels wistful and expansive, presumably drawing on the imaginations and hopes of the characters.
A Haunting in Venice by Hildur Gudnadottir: A score by Hildur Gudnadottir is a singular thing. She crafts according to her own guidelines and is never swayed by genre stereotypes or expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Patrick Doyle and his long-standing creative collaboration with Kenneth Branagh, but I must say I was delighted to hear that Sir Ken had brought Gudnadottir on board for his latest Poirot instalment.
She could have followed the well-trodden path but instead she created an eerie, atmospheric score that’s very much her own, with stand-out cue ‘Pipes’ really leaning into the unsettling. I recently interviewed the composer and she is so personable and warm, yet when it comes to her art, she firmly believes in her talent and will not be swayed by studio pressure. I imagine it’s a fine line to tread, but luckily the awards to her name provide her with the freedom to stick to her guns. I look forward to hearing where she takes her much-garlanded music for Joker in 2024 with the sequel Folie a Deux.
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie by Pinar Toprak: I’m currently familiar with PAW Patrol in title alone, but as someone who had a baby earlier this month, I know that this animated world will soon be inescapable for me. Toprak broke into the big league as the first female composer to score a film in the MCU with Captain Marvel, and she’s continued to thrive, securing a seat at the table for other large-scale releases like the Avatar universe, with the Frontiers of Pandora video game, the 2022 adventure hit The Lost City and now this popular family franchise. She’s clearly adept at composing exciting, romping scores and has set the bar high with her first full-length animated score.
Being Mary Tyler Moore by Theodosia Roussos: Documentaries seem to be the cinematic terrain that’s most welcoming for women composers, and I was introduced to the soprano, oboist, English horn player and composer Theodosia Roussos thanks to her delightful music for this film about the American actress and producer, although I’d actually heard her talents before, as she performed on Emile Mosseri’s scores for The Last Black Man in San Francisco and Kajillionaire. Roussos collaborated with the brilliant Devonté Hynes on another documentary, Naomi Osaka, and that score is currently unreleased but I look forward to hearing it. In fact, I look forward to hearing any new music by Roussos as she’s a real one to watch on the strength of Being Mary Tyler Moore alone.
Notable mentions must also go to Audrey Ismaël (La Voie Royale), Rebekka Karijord (Songs of Earth), Jocelyn Pook (Tin and Tina), EmmoLei Sankofa (Project CC) and the aforementioned Laura Karpman, whose score for American Fiction is a worthy contender on the Academy Awards shortlist, and who also cemented her superhero chops in 2023 with her stylish score for The Marvels. I worked on a Scala Radio programme with Laura last year and she’s such an inspiring and charismatic talent, and I’d love to see her receive an Oscar nomination. We shall have to wait and see.
Tell me about your favourite film scores of 2023 – I’d love to hear from you!
