For Interview with the Vampire season two, Armand (Assad Zaman) and Louis’ (Jacob Anderson) romance was at the center of the Anne Rice adapted story. Creator Rolin Jones, the two leads, and the writers gave their relationship all the necessary complications, nuance, and romance. Composer Daniel Hart took a similar approach to scoring new themes for Armand and Louis’ long-lasting relationship.
Immersive’s editor-in-chief, Jack Giroux, recently spoke with the composer about his score for the fantastic series. In Hart’s own words, here’s how he approached Armand and Louis’ new themes in Interview with the Vampire season two:
I got to write a new theme for them because in season one, Armand isn’t revealed to be Armand. He’s in the whole show, but he hasn’t revealed to be who he actually is until just the final moments of the final episode. So, there was no real theme for Armand in season one, and there was nothing in season one that would indicate that their relationship was anything more than servant or assistant. I got to write a new love theme for them.
It shows up so many times throughout the season in all different sorts of situations. There’s a version of it during their meet cute in the park. There’s a version of it when they’re first flirting at what we call “murder mansion,” where the whole vampire gang goes to a fancy dinner party and kills everyone. Everyone’s being gruesomely murdered in the background, and these two vampires are flirting with each other in the foreground. It’s romantic, dark, and absurd. There are some plucky strings in the background for that version.
There’s a version when they’re walking through a museum together after hours in Paris. Yeah, I got to use it a bunch, and I really enjoyed that particular theme. It’s evolution. There’s a version when they’re meeting for the first time in the park that feels very earnest and sweet. It’s like a solo piano, solo viola, and solo violin, all talking to each other sincerely with budding romance in their hearts.
But then later on, as things in the relationship start to go worse, I put enough complicated harmonies underneath the main version of the theme that it could feel tormented. It’s for the times that they both torment each other.
Check back soon for our full interview with Daniel Hart for Interview with the Vampire season two.
