Composer Dmitry Gordon - about studying in America and plans to conquer Hollywood

Dmitry Gordon, photo from the personal archive of the hero

22-year-old composer Dmitry Gordon, son of the famous Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon, has been creating his own music since 14. He graduated from Berkeley's prestigious Boston College of Music and has already written more than a hundred of his own compositions, one of which will be the soundtrack to the Holocaust film. Now Gordon Jr. collaborates with American composer Walter Afanasyev in an international art project, and plans to devote his first symphony to the latest events in Ukraine.

— Dmitry, you write orchestral music, which is not mainstream. Do you see the possibility of creating projects for a wider audience in the future, or is it your position to write “not for everyone”?

— I started writing music that was closer to the classics, since my main instrument was the piano, and I started with the classical repertoire. Now I have much more knowledge about different musical styles and instruments, and therefore, in theory and practice, I can integrate into any style: pop, rock, jazz, dubstep.

In my opinion, “classical”, orchestral music is the most difficult to write, and it restricts the composer least of all. It is through such music that I can more and more express what I want.

— You have been creating music since you were 14 years old. Do you remember the first time you wrote a piece of music?

“After long music lessons, I got tired of practicing scales, and my parents forced me to continue this routine activity. While practicing one of Karl Czerny's etudes at home, I made several mistakes, but at the same time I heard something of my own in it. And I started improvising. The result was something new, like a musical “theme”. Then, as a designer, I began to compose “themes” into a new composition. At first it was simple, somewhat primitive music, but it was mine. I soon showed it to my first piano teacher. She listened patiently, discreetly praised, gave some useful advice and encouraged me to keep trying. Within a month I composed two more compositions. And the more I got into the process, the more I liked it. There was a certain freedom in creating music; it was more interesting for me to look for new ways than just play an instrument. At first I numbered my compositions: I called them “Mood No. 1”, “Mood No. 2”, and so it reached 50 numbers. The first composition to which I gave a title was “Waltz with Death.” I performed it twice publicly: at the “Melody of Two Hearts” festival and on the “Shuster Live” program.

— How many compositions have you written in total?

- I lost count a little - I think there are a hundred compositions: they are all of different duration and character.

— How did you come to write music for films?

— At first I made comic videos and short films with my childhood friends, and began to write a little about what we were filming then. Then, an amateur director from the outback of Russia contacted me. He offered to write music for his first serious film. I was about 16 then, I was already in my first semester at Berklee College of Music, and I was interested in getting a new experience. It was an unpaid project, but I saw it as an opportunity to add something to my portfolio. So I wrote music for three films by this director. Later he created music for two films of my childhood friend, a director from Kyiv.

Violinist Mark O'Connor and Dmitry Gordon, photo from the personal archive of the hero

Soon I was introduced to producer Oleg Kokhan, the owner of four Nika awards. He promotes Ukrainian cinema at the international level, goes to festivals in Europe, America. Now he is assembling a team and the means to shoot the film “Tango of Death” dedicated to the Holocaust I wrote the main theme song for this tape. The recording of the composition took place with the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Roman Kofman.

The hero of the film is a conductor who was offered to work at the Opera House in Lviv. When the city was occupied by the Nazis, Obersturmführer was one of the violinists in the orchestra, and promised that the orchestra was not touched, despite the fact that there were many Jews in it. As a result, the orchestra was forced to play during the torture of prisoners and execution. The script of the film "Tango of Death" causes tears to all who read it ...

For now, the film itself is at the script and idea stage. The director has already been confirmed - this is Vadim Perelman. And he has already partially approved the music that I wrote for the film. A contract was also signed with cinematographer Pavel Eidelman, who shot such films as “The Pianist” and “Katyn”. Ukrainian, French and American teams will work in the film.

— What made you choose the field of film composition at Berkeley College?

— When I had about 15 compositions, I managed to show several of them to the Ukrainian composer Igor Poklad. He said that I have composing abilities and talent. This was the first push that forced my parents and me to reconsider our plans for the future. Before that, I dreamed of becoming a director. Composers Valentin Silvestorov and Evgeniy Stankovich also confirmed that I have abilities.

In 2011, I was fortunate enough to meet Walter Afanasyev, who, after 5 years, took me to his assistant composer. It was he who recommended me to go to Berkeley, arguing that in Berkeley I would have the maximum opportunity to develop in different directions, and also to improve the theoretical knowledge of composition without the risk of being overwhelmed by the conservative views of the professors. After his recommendation and after the visit to college, I was convinced that this place had some ideal atmosphere for creative and creative, but at the same time very hard and hard work on myself. Also, I discovered a rather impressive list of respected film composers in the world who studied at Berkeley today. Among them is the author of the music for “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” Howard Shore, the composer of “Forrest Gampa” and “Back to the Future” Alan Silvestri, the composer of “Game of Thrones” and “The World of the Wild West” Ramin Javadi and many others.

Walter Afanasyev and Dmitry Gordon, photo from the personal archive of the hero

In Berkeley, I had a double faculty: the classical composition and the department of film music. The classic composition developed a creative approach and self-expression, music analysis, and film music implied the study of the technical design of the film on the basics of the musical style in the cinema. We concentrated on the transfer of what is happening on the screen, synchronization. In the complex, such an education gave a good base. Now the music in the movie is quite the same. Often the director simply says to the composer: “Do as he did.” And you want to do your own and become the IM, which will be copied by others.

Film music is an excellent practice for any composer, as it involves a wide choice of styles. The composer, who writes for the cinema, is free from the opinions of critics: if the melody is simple or, on the contrary, too complex, its creation is based on the picture of the film. The composer is limited only by the opinion of the director and producers.

It is also important that with the help of films people will be able to recognize my orchestral music, since now few people will listen to it just like that. It's even hard to find! For example, I learned about the orchestral music of the same John Williams only after I heard his music in “Harry Potter” and began looking for his other works.

— What struck you most while studying at Berkeley and in the USA in general?

— I was struck by the freedom to choose teachers and class schedules, and in general how much (at least in Berkeley) depends on the student himself. No one will run after you and ask you to learn anything or fail: you have yourself to blame. This, of course, has its pros and cons. Personally, I have always been much better at self-education, and Berkeley in this situation served more as a library of resources, each of which had to be taken and mastered almost independently.

— Did you have any significant acquaintances during your studies?

— Yes, one of the brightest things for me was meeting Professor Yakov Gubanov. He himself is a native of Kyiv, graduated from the Kyiv and Moscow Conservatories, then left the then Soviet Union and went to write music and teach theory and composition abroad. He is also one of the last private students of Dmitri Shostakovich. Yakov Ivanovich often spent time with me after classes, and I showed him my new works. He spoke his opinion, gave advice and always told some interesting story, often something about Shostakovich that only he knew about. I think it was one of the most useful encounters. Also, I was lucky enough to study privately with the master of film music, Mason Daring, who wrote music for more than 70 films. Among them are From the Earth to the Moon (1998), Frontline (1983), The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alztheimers (2004) and many others, which received various awards, from an Oscar to an Emmy. I still keep in touch with both of them to this day.

— What genres of films are you most interested in working with?

— I always wanted to work with films like “Tango of Death” - deep, dramatic, which should evoke emotions in people, help them rethink something. But there are quite a few such films. Therefore, in the time free from such work, I would like to write music for epic films like The Lord of the Rings. Howard Shore's music for this film made a strong impression on me.

— You studied, live and work in America. Do you connect your future with the USA?

“I don’t want to get hung up on America.” I want to write for both Hollywood and Europe. Besides cinema, I am interested in theater and video games. I will consider any proposals in which I see potential. I would like to work in Ukrainian cinema, but now Hollywood is far superior in quality.

— You are currently collaborating with the famous composer and producer Walter Afanasyev, who has worked with Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion. How did you meet him?

— The editor-in-chief of the online publication GORDON, Alesya Batsman, knew a person who was personally acquainted with Walter Afanasyev, and offered to introduce me to him. I was 16 years old then, I was just finishing school and choosing a university. Walter listened to me carefully and asked me to play again and again. After that, he said a lot of good things about my game and recommended that I go to Berkeley. Later, I sometimes sent him my music, he responded quickly, because he is a very busy man.

Composer, Oscar and Golden Globe Award nominee Patrick Doyle and Dmitry Gordon, photo from the hero’s personal archive.

After finishing Berkeley, I began to look for vacancies and asked Walter to get a recommendation for a resume from him, and sent him my new works. He called back and said that he liked it, said that I had orchestral thinking, and he noticed tremendous progress in my work. Afanasyev invited me to his place and offered me cooperation.

Our first project was a semi-documentary, semi-artistic film, which is produced by Uzbekistan, and is dedicated to the Uzbek medieval ruler and scholar Ulugbek. It involves the actor Vincent Cassel. After that went the others. Walter generates the main musical material, and I develop it and try to adapt it to the film. I have the technical part of the work.

— Which composers and directors would you like to work with in the future?

— My absolute idol among film composers today is John Williams, who wrote cult soundtracks for such films as “Schindler’s List”, “Star Wars”, “Jurassic Park”, “Harry Potter”, “Home Alone”, and this list goes on. a very long time. His themes have been playing in my head since I was six years old, and I think that I would give a lot just to just watch this legendary man work, let alone work with him.

Among the directors, I would very much like to someday work on the adaptation of Tolkien’s world in the vision of Peter Jackson. Again, plunge into the world of your childhood, meet the man who gave us the fabulous worlds of Tolkien and contribute to this epic universe. Also, as a director, I really like Quentin Tarantino for his sense of humor and the courage to experiment.

— In general, how does the process of writing music for films differ from writing your own music and what is closer to you?

— When you write music for films, you always work as a team. There is a director, a producer, sometimes a music coordinator or a music editor, and somehow you all have to work together to tell one story. Often, this is not easy; Disagreements may arise with any team member. A director might say, “I want this to be something like Ennio Morricone's theme from the Western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”

Roman Kofman and Dmitry Gordon, photo from the personal archive of the hero.

The composer tries, he makes the theme in the style of Morricone, but at the same time does not come too close to it - so that there are no problems with the law. The director is not satisfied with everything, option after option. As a result, the composer spits on the law and makes the melody 99% similar. The producer comes and says to both: “What are you doing, we’ll be dragged through the courts!” And in the end everything needs to be redone. And how much effort had already been spent, and everyone was dissatisfied. Therefore, in the world of cinema, including in music, you need to be an excellent diplomat and be able to find a compromise without completely giving up your positions. When you work on a sonata or symphony, there is only you, the composer, and the capabilities of the instruments (sometimes musicians) for which you are writing. You can tell any story and at the same time be a director, producer, actor and anyone else you want.

I really hope that someday I’ll go to such a level when I don’t have to hunt for the composer’s position in films, and the producer, director or company will call me and say: “We would very much like your already written music to be a leitmotif in our movie. ” Examples of such transactions, although rare, are there. And it’s never too late and harmless to dream and strive for such a level.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Success story: how Russian creates incredible special effects for Disney

Max Levchin: a success story and the rules of business by the creator of PayPal

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.