A Haunting in Venice (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir for the 2023 film A Haunting in Venice by Kenneth Branagh. It was released by Hollywood Records on September 15, 2023.
| A Haunting in Venice (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | September 15, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 34:46 | |||
| Label | Hollywood | |||
| Producer | Hildur Guðnadóttir | |||
| Hildur Guðnadóttir chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editAt CinemaCon in April 2023, director Kenneth Branagh announced that composer Hildur Guðnadóttir would be scoring A Haunting in Venice,[1] marking Hildur's first collaboration with Branagh.[2] Hildur replaced Branagh's longtime collaborator Patrick Doyle, who had scored the film's two prequels, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.[3]
Production
editHildur grew up reading Agatha Christie novels,[4][5] and already had a "strong idea" about how she felt the genre would sound before she signed on to score the film.[6] As the film takes place during a séance at a Halloween party, Branagh wanted his score to feel "darker and almost horror"-like.[4]
The score heavily features strings and woodwinds, as Hildur wanted it to feel like an "organic and classical" chamber piece.[7]
[Branagh] wanted to enter the realm of the supernatural, and he really wanted the orchestration to be much narrower and closer. So he always talked about wanting this to be a chamber piece, and he also wanted the tonality to be quite abstract. So these were the large parameters that I had to play with, and I just think that they fit so perfectly for the film, because it stays more on Poirot and the personal questions that he's asking himself. It's a more focused Poirot story. The movie is in one space most of the time, so it's kind of claustrophobic. And the music being on the smaller side helps with that.
— Hildur Guðnadóttir[5]
The film takes place in post-war Venice, which Hildur kept in mind when scoring the film. When the film reflects on pre-war times, Hildur used "incredibly romantic, overdramatic and over-expressive tonality". On the other hand, in the post-war period, Hildur switched to an atonal sound to accompany the sense of "rebuilding the world" after the war.[5]
The score was performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Haunt" | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Gondolas" | 2:47 |
| 3. | "Alcoven" | 2:52 |
| 4. | "No Music Without Her" | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Seance" | 1:48 |
| 6. | "Psychic Pain" | 2:53 |
| 7. | "St. Louis" | 3:09 |
| 8. | "Pipes" | 2:13 |
| 9. | "Confession" | 8:14 |
| 10. | "Money in the Mattress" | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 34:46 | |
Reception
editCritical response
editHildur's score received positive reviews from film critics, with Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post complimenting it as "elegiac".[9] Brian Truitt of USA Today said that Hildur's "darkly classical score sets a pleasingly creepy vibe".[10] Tim Grierson of Screen International wrote that the "string-laden score only amplify the audience’s dread that something paranormal is afoot".[11] Lindsey Bahr of ABC News wrote that the score enhances the "moody but palatable scares".[12]
However, reviews from music critics were mostly negative. Filmtracks.com opined that "The only distinguishing characteristic of the music for A Haunting in Venice is its totally inscrutable and meaningless existence."[13] Music critic Jonathan Broxton summarised "A Haunting in Venice is a huge disappointment. It’s not interesting from a musical point of view, it doesn’t offer anything new or challenging – in fact, this is an example of [Hildur] staying very firmly within her cello texture comfort zone – and the album listening experience comes close to being boring."[14]
Accolades
edit| Award | Year[a] | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2023 | Best Original Score in a Horror Film | Won | [15] |
Notes
edit- ^ Indicates the year of ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
References
edit- ^ Fuge, Jonathan (April 26, 2023). "A Haunting in Venice Trailer: Kenneth Branagh Returns as Poirot Alongside Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey & Michelle Yeoh". MovieWeb. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (July 19, 2023). "A Haunting in Venice Trailer Puts Hercule Poirot in a Horror Mystery". TheWrap. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ "Hildur Guđnadóttir to Score Kenneth Branagh's 'A Haunting in Venice'". Film Music Reporter. April 26, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Tangcay, Jazz (September 15, 2023). "Hildur Guðnadóttir Used a Solo Clarinet to Help Create Jump Scares in 'A Haunting in Venice'". Variety. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c Davids, Brian (September 12, 2023). "Hildur Gudnadóttir Talks 'A Haunting in Venice' Score, the Influence of 'Sicario' and 'Joker 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Weintraub, Steve; Jones, Tamera (September 15, 2023). "'A Haunting in Venice's Composer Hildur Guđnadóttir on Growing Up on Agatha Christie Books". Collider. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Danoff, Owen (September 14, 2023). "See Hildur Guðnadóttir Score A Haunting In Venice On The Big Score [EXCLUSIVE]". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (September 17, 2023). "Psychic Pain (and Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir) Are the Common Denominators Between Lydia Tár and Hercule Poirot". IndieWire. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Hornaday, Ann (September 8, 2023). "Review | 'A Haunting in Venice': Branagh's Poirot returns in moody mystery". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "'A Haunting in Venice' review: A sleepy Agatha Christie movie that won't keep you up at night". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Grierson, Tim (September 9, 2023). "'A Haunting In Venice': Review". Screen. Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Bahr, Lindsey. "Movie Review: Kenneth Branagh crafts a sumptuously spooky 'A Haunting in Venice'". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "Filmtracks: A Haunting in Venice (Hildur Guðnadóttir)". Filmtracks.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "A HAUNTING IN VENICE – Hildur Guðnadóttir". MOVIE MUSIC UK. September 19, 2023. Archived from the original on September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "2023 HMMA WINNERS AND NOMINEES". Hollywood Music In Media Awards. Retrieved November 17, 2023.