Jessica Curry is one of the most famous composers in video game history – she won a BAFTA for her composition of the All have gone to the rapture and she began her video game with the stirring, dramatic soundtrack for Dear Esther. Not to mention the haunting sounds they create for Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.
For Polygon FM—our week-long foray into the most interesting music in video games—Curry told us about her first foray into the world of video games, her process and influences, and how fans are enjoying her music today.
Was there a game soundtrack or song that inspired you to compose game music? Can you describe how that felt for you and why the music was so impactful?
I had never played a game before [developer Dan Pinchbeck] asked me to write the music for Dear Esther — Games just weren’t my thing. It was strange but liberating to compose a game soundtrack before I’d ever heard one! The good thing about it was that it freed me from constraints. The first piece of game music I heard and really liked was “Leaving Earth” by Clint Mansell on the Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack. Melancholic epic that conjures up endless, floating landscapes – what’s not to like?
Can you describe one of your own songs and its influences? Was it inspired by game soundtracks, other music or something else?
One of my favorite pieces is “Great friends” for the game So let us melt away.
I wanted to make music that didn’t sound like anything else, but there were two pieces that I definitely had in mind when I wrote this piece. The first is “Baba O’Riley“ by The Who – I love the electronic arpeggio that pulses so energetically through the track.
The other music is “The State“” by composer Louis Andriessen. Like “Baba,” it has a beautiful pulse and I love its minimalist repetitions and textures. I also love the purity of the vocal style in the piece and that was hugely inspiring when it came to directing the choir towards the sound I wanted for “Great Friends.”
What instruments are mainly used to record the soundtrack? All have gone to the rapture? How did you choose these instruments?
For rapture I wanted to evoke a wonderfully English, bucolic sound, reminiscent of the world of Elgar and Vaughan Williams. So strings, woodwinds and choir play a big part in the soundtrack. I heard the soloist Elin Manahan Thomas sing in concert and knew immediately that her voice would be the centre of this sound world. Her voice [on] The score still gives me goosebumps to this day.
Is there anything else we should know about your approach to composing video game music?
I put my heart and soul into every single project. I think people can feel the love and care, and the best part of my job is reading all the incredible emails about what my music means to people. My music has walked people down the aisle, escaping war zones, and at the funerals of their loved ones, and it’s an honor and a privilege to know that.
