Composer

John Califra

What was the most challenging part of working on this project?

Creating a musical language for the score that had a clear spanish influence while keeping the music fresh and without cliche.

Did any other composers work influence your work on this?

While preparing for this score, I listened to many works by Manuel DeFalla and Isaac Albinez. I tried to extract from them a sense of what constituted their "Spanishness." While there are large stylistic differences between the music of these composers, I did find similarities in their use of ornamentation. I tried to incorporate this sort of ornamentation in the Matador score.

What's the overriding emotion that you wanted to convey with this music?

There isn't a single emotion that underlies the work. However, some of the relevant emotions I wanted the music to evoke are pride, pity, arrogance and brutality.

Any unusual use of instruments in this work?

Not terribly unusual but atypical - I used a harp as a substitute for a guitar. I wanted to imply the guitar while avoiding its use. However, I did have the harpist play the part largely near the instrument's sound board to limit the resonance of the instrument and be more imitative of guitar's timbre.

How many musicians did you use for this piece?

I wanted 2 types of texture for this score. First, I wanted a real symphonic sound. For this I used a 64 piece orchestra. These piecesare used primarily for the Corridas. Then, I wanted a more intimate sound for scenes not connected with the corridas. For this I used a 13 piece ensemble.

Writing music would seem to require such solitary vision. How is it possible to work with filmmakers - directors, editors and even sound mixers - and preserve your personal vision?

This is a matter of choosing projects that one can authentically relate to on some level - and which have directors who seem to have a creative expectation that I know I can fulfill.

Have you ever seen a corrida?

only in my dreams!

Will you now see a live corrida if you are in a country that has them?

I might be tempted but, right now, I think that the temptation wouldnt be sufficient to induce me to buy a ticket.

What is your personal view of the corrida? Do you think it's beautiful, distasteful, immoral?

all of the above

Is there any redeeming value to it?

honestly, I don't see anything authentically redeeming about the corrida. I think that any view to the contrary completely ignores the terror and suffering which this ritual subjects the bull to.

As someone who doesn't particularly like the corrida, what was it about this project that made you want to do it anyhow?

My negative feelings about the corrida actually made this a moreinteresting project to score. When I'd heard about this film I immediately knew that there would be very interesting possibilities for scoring.

What did you learn working on this that was new?

Thats a difficult question to answer with specifics. I still feel that with each project I score, my technique with the orchestra improves. In this case, there was a rare opportunity to write music that had some degree of virtuosity - something rare for film music. During the recording many of the musicians commented to me that they enjoyed playing it. This is also unusual for film music because it rarely presents a performance challenge for the players. One of the violists in the group was a visiting member of the Luxembourg Philharmonic - a major European orchestra. This guy was particularly happy with the score and suggested - along with the conductor - that I adapt it as a concert piece. I dont personally agree with that idea but found it gratifying to know that other musicians did.

Would you recommend digitally-generated music under any circumstances?

Only when the digital instrument is called upon to create musical timbres unique to itself - not to imitate acustical instruments.

How does one prepare to oversee the recording of an entire film score, with nearly seventy players, in a just three days?

avoid sleep - and make sure to find production partners who will do the same!

What in your past career experience enables you to work this way?

I know how to write for orchestra in a way that I can be sure of how much time will be required to record it. Also, I plan my recordings in advance to make optimum use of the session time. Finally, if there is a budget limitation I usually will not conduct myself but will use someone who the orchestra already knows and has worked with.