Composing Greatness: #8. The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "The Theory of Everything" (2014)

Scene from The Theory of Everything (2014)

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Series Composer: Johan Johannsson

Entry: The Theory of Everything (2014)

Collaborators (If Available): N/A

Nomination: Best Original Score

Did They Win: No

Other Nominees:
Best Original Score
-The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat)*winner
-The Imitation Game (Alexandre Desplat)
-Interstellar (Hans Zimmer)
-Mr. Turner (Gary Yershon)

Additional Information

This is to help provide perspective of where each composer is in their Oscar-nominated life as it related to the current entry.

Oscar Nomination: 1

Oscar Wins: 0

Track List

1. "Cambridges, 1963"
2. "Rowing"
3. "Domestic Pressures"
4. "Chalkboard"
5. "Cavendish Lab"
6. "Collapsing Inwards"
7. "A Game of Croquet"
8. "The Origins of Time"
9. "The Wedding"
10. "Viva Voce"
11. "The Dreams That Stuff Is Made Of"
12. "A Spacetime Singularity"
13. "The Stairs"
14. "A Normal Family"
15. "Forces of Attraction"
16. "Rowing (Alternate Version)"
17. "Camping"
18. "Coma"
19. "The Spelling Board"
20. "The Voice Box"
21. "A Brief History of Time"
22. "Daisy Daisy"
23. "A Model of the Universe"
24. "The Theory of Everything"
25. "London 1988"
26. "Epilogue"

Note: Listen to here.

Exploring the Music

The area of the column where I will explore the music in as much detail as I see fit for each entry.

Theme Exploration:

"Cambridge, 1963"

After a string of slow-burning openers, it really feels like Johan Johannsson came to play with a magnificent piece of music. The piano feels like it's whirling around the other instruments in a cosmos of sound. It's beautiful and sweet, capturing the awe for which this movie will contain. It captures the themes perfectly in how a million little things make up one big picture, and every instrument's catchy melody helps to make the final image into something that may sound classical by nature, but so rich with emotion and life that you hope the rest of the soundtrack lives up to that promise. 

Interesting Standout:
"Forces of Attraction"

For the most part, there is a distinguished difference between the use of strings and piano on this soundtrack. This is one of the few points where they come together in a beautiful clash. It almost sounds like they exist at opposite ends of the song, slowly coming together as if initially shy before molding into something big. When the instruments combine, it becomes one of the most majestic tracks on the album, separating the first half's singularity from the second's willingness to explore what it sounds like when everything comes together in harmony, creating something bigger than any one thing. 

Best Moment:
"A Model of the Universe"

This may be the hardest part of the column to do, if just because there isn't an ounce of fat on the entire soundtrack. What is here is a whirling sense of instruments, folding in on each other in a quest for deeper understanding. The model of the universe is ever-expanding, and the instruments have melodies that loop in ways that are hypnotic, growing louder and quiet to capture something like audible distance. The results are emotional, managing to make a sound that is powerful and overwhelming. As far as scores go, Johannsson is one of the few so far that understands what a tender melody can do to the human soul, and he uses it without ever manipulating something into a saccharine mess. 

Did This Deserve an Oscar Nomination?:
Yes

As much as this decade has been about exploring new and exciting approaches to motifs, it's fascinating to hear a classical score that's just really good. Yes, Johannsson would go on to be one of the best and most experimental composers over his brief career, but here he proves that his limits knew no bounds, that he could add sentimentality to a movie and elevate everything around it in the process. It's a powerful piece and it makes sense why he's the first to also show up next week for a second nomination. What he's created is a swirling mixture of sounds that are classical and modern at the same time, capturing elements coming together in unexpected ways. It has more emotion than any other score so far, and it's also evidence of what a great soundtrack can do for a film. 

Up Next: Best Original Score - Johan Johansson, Sicario (2015)

Best Theme

A ranking of all themes composed by The Freshman Class of the 2010's.

1. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: "Hand Covers Bruise" - The Social Network (2010)
2. John Powell: "This is Berk" - How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
3. Johan Johannsson: "Cambridge, 1963" - The Theory of Everything (2014)
4. Mychael Danna: "Piscine Molitar Patel" - Life of Pi (2012)
5. Will Butler & Owen Pallett: "Sleepwalker" - Her (2013)
6. Gary Yershon: "Mr. Turner" - Mr. Turner (2014)
7. Ludovic Bource: "The Artist Overture" - The Artist (2011)
8. Steven Price: "Above Earth" - Gravity (2013)