That Man Peter Berlin Soundtrack Released

Now on iTunes is the original motion picture soundtrack I composed for the 2005 award-winning documentary That Man Peter Berlin.

It also includes one bonus "alternate" (read rejected) cue, for the ending sequence "(If I could) Redo My Life."

Revisiting this score, I am pleased with how it sounds. It was recorded in my former studio in a Victorian garrett on Laguna Street in San Francisco. The score has real flute, oboe, and cello throughout. I used two computers synchronized via MTC (midi time code). One computer ran video (.movs) and serial MIDI, using Logic, to control a souped-up Emulator E6400 and a Proteus module. A second computer ran digital audio on ProTools. Audio went through an analog mixing console. The mixes were recorded to DAT (all tracks on the ProTools system being maxed out), and then transferred back to computer digitally.

I believe I have printed scores for the whole project, or at least for the flute, oboe, and cello parts, somewhere. There are some interesting synth sounds used as well. The idea was not to hide the use of electronics, but to use electronic sounds which might blend well and support the acoustic sounds. So it doesn't sound like synth orchestra, it sounds like its own natural, organic thing.

Musically it's also a very interesting score. Some of the themes are rather sophisticated for film music. Check out iTunes' sample clip for "War" with the "Peter" theme stated in the flute. That theme is used in many of the cues, but they all sound rather different. "Magazines and Kitty" features some interesting tone clusters.

Check out what a nice job the German distributor did editing together music and clips!

Here's the opening montage.