Composing for Newton

BBC documentary Isaac Newton: The Last Magician was a biographical exploration of the scientific genius who transformed the understanding of the universe.

As often happens with the more creative TV projects, whether documentary or drama, there were still many unknowns when key musical decisions had to be made at the start of the work. Before seeing the script or any footage, we made the decision to allocate a significant proportion of the fixed music budget on specialist musicians playing instruments of the period of Isaac Newton himself, and which he would recognise in his own lifetime.

In the acoustically stunning Dora Stouzker Hall in Cardiff, our supervising recording engineer Odilon Marcenaro, assisted by Benjie Talbott & Tic Ashfield, set up the Soundfield microphone array, to capture the performance of Baroque violinists Dr Simon Jones and Andrea Jones, and David Miller, specialist in the Theorbo [a bass lute], playing JHM arrangements of works by Corelli and Purcell, as well as some specially composed original material intended to illustrate and underscore aspects of Newton’s life and thought. The Cardiff session was followed by a London recording of Clare Salaman playing Hurdy Gurdy and Nyckelharpa [Swedish keyed tenor fiddle]. Almost immediately work began in our JHM studio in Cardiff, editing and mixing the Baroque music, with a focus on building atmospheres, themes and textures.

Released on Ffin Records, the concept album ALCHEMY features reimagined music from the Isaac Newton: The Last Magician soundtrack. The album takes the listener on a sonic journey, telling the story of a creative yet frustrated imaginary character, inspired by Isaac Newton.