Music

Howard Blake was musical director on The Hunger. Although a soundtrack has been
available since the film's release (Varese Sarabande VSD 47261) this issue omits
much of the music used in the film
see Movements. Blake also composed the orche
stral score for Flash Gordon (1980) alongside rock band Queen and the Oscar winn
ing animated short film of Raymond Briggs', The Snowman (1982).
Blake's notes on working with director Tony Scott: "Tony wanted to create a scor
e largely using classical music and I researched this, many days going to his ho
me in Wimbledon with stacks of recordings to play to him. One of these was the d
uet for 2 sopranos from Delibes' Lakm, which I recorded specially with Elaine Bar
ry and Judith Rees, conducting my orchestra The Sinfonia of London. Howard Shell
ey joined with Ralph Holmes and Raphael Wallfisch to record the second movement
of Schubert's Piano Trio in E flat. Ralph recorded the Gigue from Bach's Violin
Partita in E and Raphael the Prelude to Bach's solo cello sonata in G, to which
Bowie mimed. I was persuaded to appear in one scene as a pianist, for which I wr
ote a 'Dolphin Square Blues'. Tony wanted to add a synthesizer score and I intro
duced him to Hans Zimmer, then working at The Snake Ranch Studio in Fulham but T
ony eventually used a score by Michel Rubini and Denny Jaeger with electronics b
y David Lawson. It is hard however to exactly separate these elements."[4]
Movements
(On camera) "Bela Lugosi's Dead" Bauhaus, specially arranged, recorded and p
roduced for the film by Howard Blake: Opening club scene shot in London's 'Heave
n.'
Score (David Lawson) The first killing.
Excerpt Piano Trio in E flat major by Franz Schubert (1797 1828), 2nd movement
arranged by Howard Blake, played by Ralph Holmes, Raphael Wallfisch, and Howard
Shelley After the first killing, cut to ext. New York. (The Schubert first move
ment is slightly arranged in each case in one way because at the request of the
director the trills are not played
Director Scott felt they gave it an unnecessa
rily 'period' connotation).
(On camera) Excerpt Piano Trio in E flat major by Franz Schubert, 2nd moveme
nt, Andante con moto. Excerpt arranged by Blake, played by Holmes, Wallfisch, an
d Shelley: Miriam and John in late 18th century costume mime to the track.
Excerpt
Praeludium from Partita for solo cello in G major by J S Bach (1685 17
50) played by Wallfisch: Continuation of the 18th century scene.
(On camera) Excerpt Piano Trio in B flat major by Schubert, 2nd movement arr
. by Howard Blake, played by Holmes, Wallfisch, and Shelley: Alice, the young vi
olin pupil, John and Miriam mime to the track; John starts to age.
Excerpt Sonata for piano in B flat major D960 slow movement, arranged and pl
ayed by Howard Blake: The ageing Bowie returns to Miriam's house.
Score (Michel Rubini/Denny Jaeger with electronics by David Lawson): Ageing
ape scene.
Score (Lawson): Changing room scene.
Excerpt from Funtime Iggy Pop, David Bowie (publishers: James Osterberg Musi
c/Bewlay Bros SARL/Fleur Music): Roller-skating scene.
Lalo (1823 1892) excerpt from Romance from piano trio in C minor 0p.7
'Play th
e Lalo for me' Alice plays an excerpt of the solo violin part (unaccompanied).
Excerpt Sonata for piano in B flat major D960 slow movement, arranged and pl
ayed by Howard Blake: John now really old and Miriam in the music room.
"Miserere" Gregorio Allegri (1582 1652): A recording of the famous papal piece
for high treble and chorus: Used throughout the attic death scene.
Score (Rubini/Jaeger with electronics by Lawson): The detective arrives.
"Le Gibet" Maurice Ravel (1875 1937): This piano piece starts with Miriam in b
ed with her new partner and later she is seen miming to it. Credited on the film
only as 'published by Durand' it comes from the piano suite 'Gaspard de la nuit
' by Ravel and conjures up the image of a man hanging from a gallows to the soun
d of a tolling bell. A recording was made at Advision Studios by Howard Blake (p

iano)16 September 1982.

"Lakm" by Lo Delibes: The scene begins with Miriam 'playing' the duet section
('Dome epais') from 'Viens Mallika' in Lakm on the piano slowly as if improvising
. (Lakm is the opera of Leo Delibes, 1836 1891). Use of this song was suggested to
Scott by Blake, who himself improvised the piano track mimed by Miriam. As the s
eduction unfolds the improvisation reaches a cadence and merges seamlessly into
an authentic rendering of the operatic duet sung by Elaine Barry and Judith Rees
(sopranos) with The Sinfonia of London conducted by HB, recorded at CTS Studios
Wembley 18 October 1983. (This recording was later used as a section of undersc
ore in the Tony Scott/Quentin Tarantino film True Romance, 1993).
"Dolphin Square Blues" (Blake): Miriam is having lunch at Dolphin Square Res
taurant with her new lover. In the background, HB can be seen and heard playing
his own blues on piano. Below two (sometimes) naked girls swim and dive in the p
ool.
Score (Lawson) Sara coughing.
Score (Rubini/Jaeger with electronics by Lawson): Sara picks up a male victi
m.
Score (Rubini/Jaeger with electronics by Lawson): Tom, friend of Sara, arriv
es at the house.
"Le Gibet" (Ravel): Miriam is again seen miming to this piece. Credited on t
he film only as 'published by Durand' it comes from the piano suite 'Gaspard de
la nuit' by Ravel and conjures up the image of a man hanging from a gallows to t
he sound of a tolling bell. A recording was made at Advision Studios by Howard B
lake (piano) 16 September 1982.
Score (Rubini/Jaeger with electronics by Lawson): A killing.
Score (Rubini/Jaeger with electronics by Lawson): The denouement in the atti
c.
Same excerpt (see above) from Schubert's Piano Trio in E flat major, arrange
d by Blake, played by Holmes, Wallfisch, and Shelley: Final sequence the selling o
f the house; Sara taking over the role of Miriam, looking across London. The mus
ic continues through the credits.