So after pulling an all-nighter, I delivered the score for Swordsman yesterday. It’s a short film based on the legendary Samurai, Myamoto Musashi, directed by Marcus Sun.
I wrote it for shakuhachi, shinobue, koto, and taiko with a string orchestra. I feel fortunate to have worked with some amazing musicians on this project, including…
Bill Schultz on Shakuhachi (end-blown bamboo flute)… Yoko Awaya on Koto (a harp-like string instrument)… and George Abe on Shinobue (a traditional transverse bamboo flute).
Sadly, I didn’t have the budget for a live string orchestra, but I had the help of orchestrator Michael West, who created the mock-ups and mixed the final score.
I had a wonderful time collaborating with Marcus Sun, the director of Swordsman. His feedback as I was creating the score was both helpful and supportive, and the end result is better because of it.
Here’s a “sneak peak” excerpt of the score. The first cue is from a moment Myamoto is experiencing self-doubt. The second is a moment between Myamoto and Oharu, his love interest. You’ll hear excerpts of both the Love Theme and the theme representing Myamoto’s Destiny…
