Christopher Nolan told the composer to sidestep a traditional orchestra. Göransson’s sonic palette for the ancient Greek epic includes bronze gongs, modern synthesizers, and a string instrument tied directly to the protagonist’s weapon.
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey arrives in July without the symphonic sweep typical of large-scale historical films. In an interview with Time, composer Ludwig Göransson said Nolan explicitly asked him to skip the orchestra. Göransson took the restriction as a creative opening. “It’s not like the orchestra existed back then,” he reasoned.
To build the film’s soundworld, he bought 35 bronze gongs in different sizes. The metallic resonance is period-appropriate. What’s less ancient is the layer of synthesizers Göransson wove through the percussion. An ancient string instrument, the lyre, also plays a structural role. Nolan suggested its pluck could evoke the sound of Odysseus’ bow.
Travis Scott appears as a bard in the film, a casting choice Nolan tied to narrative tradition. “I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,” the director said. The vocal rhythms of rap and the bardic recitation of Homer’s verses share a lineage that the film acknowledges without making it the score’s centerpiece.
The Odyssey marks Göransson’s third collaboration with Nolan after Tenet and Oppenheimer. The film opens in cinemas on 17 July.
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