There are a lot of fantastic composers of television and film out there, from heavyweights like John Williams, Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer to exciting composers like Michael Giacchino, who cut his teeth on shows like Lost and Alias and is now scoring huge movies like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, War for the Planet of the Apes and Spider-Man: Homecoming. But there is one composer who has delivered some powerful scores for film and television, yet who still remains lesser known.
German-born Ramin Djawadi is the composer behind some of the most exciting shows currently on television, but he has a career going back over fifteen years. Did you know Djawadi was the man to score the soundtrack for the first Iron Man? Or the man behind numerous TV show scores like The Strain, Person Of Interest and of course Game Of Thrones?
In this article, as his score for Game of Thrones’ seventh season arrives on Friday, we look at five of his best scores, across TV and film…
Beat The Drum (2003)
The chances are you’ll have never heard of this film. I didn’t either until I started delving deep into the fantastic catalogue of Ramin Djawadi scores. However, his earliest film score perfectly captures his immense ability to create atmospheric, evocative tones that transports the listener into the heart of the moment. There are themes here that feel like precursors to Game of Thrones and Westworld.
Djawadi’s music for Beat The Drum is simple and beautiful, capturing the essence of Africa, where the young lead treks in search of a cure for an illness inflicting his village with his dead father’s tribal drum for company. There is an innate sadness to this music, but Djawadi never makes it feel depressing, the use of African choral themes and flutes making this soundtrack a joy to listen to.
Best Track: ‘Brand New Day’, a beautiful, emotion piece that transports the listener into the heart of Africa…
Iron Man (2008)
This slick score was created by Ramin Djawadi, who came into work on the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie quite late into filming (Jon Favreau’s preferred composer was unavailable and Iron Man fan Djawadi pushed for the job). It’s a soundtrack quite different to his other emotive, epic scores but just as exciting, mixing orchestral scores with a rock band to perfectly capture the cool, fun essence of the movie.
It’s remarkably simplistic at times but effectively so; the guitar riffs running through tracks like ‘Fireman’, mixed with dramatic string movements are intense and relentless while more atmospheric pieces like ‘Trinkets to kill a Prince’ capture the danger of Tony’s imprisonment in Afghanistan. Some Marvel movie scores have felt lacking in memorable, individual tracks, but with this piece, you know exactly who the hero is.
Best track: ‘Driving with the Top Down’, a slick, epic score to accompany Tony’s first test of the Mark II suit.
Warcraft: The Beginning (2016)
It’s a hard choice between Warcraft: The Beginning and Ramin Djawadi’s equally epic, atmospheric score for Dracula Untold, but this one just beats it with a more boundless energy and mix of tones. This was Djawadi’s attempt to mirror the bombastic, epic scores of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and he does a great job.
From the sweeping majesty of ‘Honour’ set against the frenzied pace of ‘Forest Ambush’, to the bold, guttural feel of ‘The Horde’ and the epic battle portrayed in ‘Victory and Defeat’, Djawadi’s score transports the listener deep into the dark and dangerous world of Warcraft. There’s no denying that Ramin Djawadi’s work on Game Of Thrones probably helped get him the gig, but he delivered on that superbly.
Best track: ‘The Horde’, an evocative piece that perfectly captures this world.
Westworld (2016-present)
The Westworld soundtrack is a thing of beauty, in which Djawadi mixes original scores with some unique adaptations of classic songs to deliver something truly special. He makes great use of the genres too, blending Western and sci-fi just as brilliant through music as the show does on screen.
From the simple piano version of ‘Back to Black’ to the rip-roaring Western heist music that is ‘Paint it Black’, the powerfully emotional strings at play in ‘Motion Picture Soundtrack’ to the powerful season cliffhanger score at play in ‘Exit Music (For a Film)’, this TV soundtrack has everything. And when you get epic pieces like ‘Trompe L’Oeil’ thrown in, it is clear that this soundtrack is a thing of passion. I would probably put this at number one, if it wasn’t for the fact that we’ve only had ten episodes to acquaint ourselves with Djawadi’s mesmerising score.
Best track: ‘Paint It Black’ – a superb Western adaptation of The Rolling Stones classic track.
Game Of Thrones (2011-present)
The clockwork buildings of each city rising on the Game Of Thrones title sequence keeps fans delighted week after week, but it is the accompaniment of Djawadi’s thrilling score that really makes it special. His music over the last seven seasons has certainly been his symphony; epic scores and beautiful harmonies, atmospheric and emotional pieces that have captured every shocking twist, battle, scheme, death and joyful moment that has enthralled audiences world over.
What’s interesting about Djawadi’s score for Game of Thrones is that is hard to immediately pinpoint a standout piece (the title sequence aside), not because the music isn’t amazing, but because it is interwoven so tightly into the fabric of the show it is as essential as the dramatic visuals and powerful performances we have become accustomed too. Do you pick the sinister undertones of ‘Pay the Iron Price’ or the anguish and bloodshed of ‘Stand And Fight’ from season two? The epic majesty of season three’s ‘Wall of Ice’ or season five’s ‘Blood of the Dragon’? Simply put, there are two many amazing pieces, though a quick trip to YouTube will offer plenty to listen to.
Best track: The title sequence – could it be any other?
Are you a fan of Ramin Djawadi’s scores? Do you agree with our favourites or are there other soundtracks your prefer more? Let us know…