Göransson's Score for Nolan's 'The Odyssey': Crafted but Forgettable

Ludwig Göransson's score for Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" uses ancient instruments — including the aulos, a double-barrelled Greek flute — to create an earthy, raw soundscape rooted in scholarly research. Critics praise the craftsmanship but find the music ultimately bloodless and unmemorable, serving the film's portrayal of an uncomplicated hero rather than elevating it.

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Ludwig Göransson’s meticulous score uses instruments of the era to create an earthy, raw and bleak soundscape, but it merely supports the portrayal of an uncomplicated hero

A few weeks ago I came across a video of Professor Armand D’Angour, associate professor of classics at Oxford university. He explained how, through groundbreaking research involving fragments of melody and rhythms found on papyrus and stone and the reconstruction of ancient instruments, it is now possible to hear for the first time in 2,000 years what ancient Greek music would have sounded like.

Given Ludwig Göransson’s beautiful theme for the aulos (an ancient double-barrelled flute) in Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster, The Odyssey, and his reputation for dedicated research into his subject matter, it seems very likely that he too has heard these calls from the ancient past.

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