Soundtrack - Emmy-nominated composer Lorne Balfe returns to National Geographic’s Genius

Par Mulder, 08 mai 2018

Emmy-nominated composer, Lorne Balfe returns to National Geographic’s GENIUS for the critically-acclaimed series second season. In addition to writing the score for last season’s Genius featuring Albert Einstein’s life, he co-composed the theme with Hans Zimmer, which was awarded an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Main Theme Music. The new season focuses on the Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso, played by Antonio Banderas and Alex Rich. Written and directed by Kenneth Biller, the series explores Picasso’s youth and his adulthood illuminating his rejection of traditional painting in search for his own voice while confronting the threat of fascism in Spain. Balfe created an intensely strong and foreboding score.

Lorne Balfe explains his inspiration for the score for Picasso, “Picasso once said, “Music and art are the guiding lights of the world.” When I started writing the score for the new season, I filled the walls of my studio with prints of Picasso’s art. Although, we will never know the soundtrack that was in his head when created those masterpieces, I wanted the music to illustrate the vibrant colors and abstract scenes he created and reflect his love of music which was part of the artist.”

Balfe is co-composing the score for the highly anticipated third season of Netflix’s The Crown alongside Rupert Gregson-Williams, which is set to cover the years 1964-76 of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

Synopsis :
The second season chronicles two periods in the life of Pablo Picasso: the first as a young man first discovering his talent, the second as a celebrated artist struggling with the rise of fascism and the price of fame.

Genius Season 2
Developed by Noah Pink, Ken Biller
Starring Antonio Banderas (Pablo Picasso), Clémence Poésy (Françoise Gilot), Alex Rich (younger Picasso), Samantha Colley (Dora Maar), Poppy Delevingne (Marie-Thérèse Walter), Robert Sheehan (Carlos Casagemas), David Wilmot (José Ruiz y Blasco), Jordi Mollà (Salvador Ruiz), Charlie Carrick (Manuel Pallarès), Sebastian Roché (Emile Gilot), Adrian Schiller (Jaime Sabartés), Will Keen (Paul Rosenberg), Alessio Scalzotto (Pablo Picasso (age 14)), Timothy Lyons (Pablo Picasso (age 9)), Maria Jose Bavio (María Picasso y López), Aisling Franciosi (Fernande Olivier), Stéphane Caillard (Geneviève Aliquot), Bruno Paviot (Marcel), Elena Martinez (Dolores), T. R. Knight (Max Jacob), Seth Gabel (Guillaume Apollinaire), Johnny Flynn (Alain Cuny)
Theme music composer : Hans Zimmer
Composer : Lorne Balfe
Production Executive producers : Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Jeff Cooney, Sam Sokolow, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Francie Calfo, Ken Biller, Chris Cooney, Alan Sam Polsky, Gabe Polshy, John Valentine
Producers: William M. Connor, Steven Felder, Robert M. Williams Jr., Anna Culp, Kelly A. Manners
Cinematography : Mathias Herndl
Editors : J. Kathleen Gibson, James Wilcox, James Kilton, Mark Sadlek
Production companies : Imagine Television, Paperboy Productions, MWM Studios, EUE / Sokolow, Fox 21 Television Studios
No. of episodes : 13 (list of episodes)
Distributor ; 20th Television

(Source : press release)