The brief for this scene was to choose a video from the database of available clips that could support the use of a 52-piece orchestra, preferably a romantic comedy, drama, horror, or fantasy. I chose Interstellar because I like the movie and this scene really jumped out at me as something that needed a lot of motion and energy in the music.

After spending more time with the clip, I decided that it should have motion but that the motion was very contained within a sense of vastness. There was also an additional layer of spirituality, especially as she interacts with “them” via the handshake. For me once I hit this stage the material usually comes quickly and that’s what happened here.

I heard broad, major-sounding clusters as a kind of tonal universe in which all of the motion could unfold. I built that world from two major scales a whole step apart, D major and E major, creating a Lydian-inflected sound, rich clusters, and a fluid way to shift the balance within the polytonality. Because the two scales differ by only two notes, those pitches became the principal source of motion within that larger tonal space. The music remains suspended between the two keys while the characters travel between worlds in the wormhole, and only at the words “we’re here” does it finally settle into E major.

To add the layer of spirituality I happened to have a brass chorale that I had not used from a previous session fresh in my mind. The rest of the work was simply bringing in and out layers of sound, create motion through rhythmic patterns, and a sense of motion through shifting tones within the tonality.

There was a technical issue with the recording session, so what you hear is the mockup.