THE HUNGER op.314 (October 1982)

Published by: MGM/UA Entertainment Co., CBS Songs, April Music Inc
Commissioned by: Peerford Films/MGM
First Performance: Recordings CTS Studios,Advision Studios, Abbey Road Studios, October 1982

Movements

• 1: (On camera) 'Bela Lugosi's dead' sung and performed by Bauhaus, specially arranged, recorded and produced for the film by Howard Blake 2 minutes 56 seconds
  

  Opening club scene shot in 'Heaven'

• 2: Beach House electronic score David Lawson 2 minutes 54 seconds
  

  the first killing

• 3: Excerpt Piano Trio in E flat major by Franz Schubert (1797-1828), 1st movement arranged by Howard Blake, played by Ralph Holmes, Raphael Wallfisch and Howard Shelley 3 minutes 35 seconds
  

  After the first killing, cut to ext. New York. (The Schubert first movement is slightly arranged in each case in one way because at the request of the director the trills are not played- Tony felt they gave it an unnecessarily 'period' connotation)

• 4: (On camera) Excerpt Piano Trio in E flat major by Franz Schubert contd, 1st movement arr. by Howard Blake, played by Ralph Holmes, Raphael Wallfisch and Howard Shelley
  

  Miriam (Deneuve) and John (Bowie) in late 18th century costume mime to the track

• 5: Excerpt -Praeludium from Partita for solo cello in G major by J S Bach (1685-1750) played by Raphael Wallfisch 1 minutes 09 seconds
  

  Continuation of the 18th century scene

• 6: (On camera) Excerpt Piano Trio in B flat major by Schubert, 2nd movement arr. by Howard Blake, played by Ralph Holmes, Raphael Wallfisch and Howard Shelley 1 minutes 01 seconds
  

  Alice, the young violin pupil, John and Miriam mime to the track - John starts to age

• 7: Excerpt Sonata for piano in B flat major D960 slow movement, arranged and played by Howard Blake 2 minutes 05 seconds
  

  The ageing Bowie returns to Miriam's house

• 8: Score (Michel Rubini/Denny Jaeger with electronics by David Lawson) 2 minutes 59 seconds
  

  Ageing ape scene

• 9: Score (David Lawson)
  

  Changing room scene

• 10: Excerpt from 'Funtime' - Iggy Pop, David Bowie (publishers: James Osterberg Music/Bewlay Bros SARL/Fleur Music) 57 seconds
  

  Roller-skating scene

• 11: Lalo (1823-1892) excerpt from 'Romance' from piano trio in C minor 0p.7 1 minutes 32 seconds
  

  'Play the Lalo for me' Alice plays an excerpt of the solo violin part (unaccompanied)

• 12: Excerpt Sonata for piano in B flat major D960 slow movement, arranged and played by Howard Blake 2 minutes 49 seconds
  

  John now really old and Miriam in the music room.

• 13: 'Miserere' by Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652) 2 minutes 13 seconds
  

  A recording of the famous papal piece for high treble and chorus, used throughout the attic death scene

• 14: Score (Michel Rubini/Denny Jaeger with electronics by David Lawson)
  

  The detective arrives

• 15: 'Le Gibet' by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) 2 minutes 06 seconds
  

  This piano piece starts with Miriam in bed 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 'Scarbo' by Ravel and conjures up the image of a man hanging from a gallows to the sound of a tolling bell.A recording was made at Advision Studios by Howard Blake (piano)16.09.1982.

• 16: Lakme by Leo Delibes 5 minutes 50 seconds
  

  The scene begins with Miriam 'playing' the duet section ('Dome epais')from 'Viens Mallika' in Lakme on the piano slowly as if improvising. (Lakme is the opera of Leo Delibes - 1836-1891). The use of this song was suggested to Tony Scott by Howard Blake,who himself improvised the piano track mimed by Miriam. As the seduction unfolds the improvisation reaches a cadence and merges seemlessly 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 18.10.1983. (This recording was later used as a section of underscore in the Tony Scott/Quentin Tarrantino movie 'True Romance', 1993)

• 17: Dolphin Square Blues (Howard Blake) 2 minutes 41 seconds
  

  Miriam is having lunch at Dolphin Square Restaurant with her new lover. In the background Howard Blake can be seen and heard playing his own blues on piano. Below two girls swim and dive in the pool.

• 18: Score (David Lawson)
  

  Sara coughing

• 19: Score (Michel Rubini/Denny Jaeger with electronics by David Lawson)
  

  Sara picks up a male victim

• 20: Score (Michel Rubini/Denny Jaeger with electronics by David Lawson)
  

  Tom Haver, the friend of Sara Roberts, arrives at the house

• 21: Le Gibet (Maurice Ravel) 38 seconds
  

  Miriam is again seen miming to this piece. Credited on the film only as 'published by Durand' it comes from the piano suite 'Scarbo' by Ravel and conjures up the image of a man hanging from a gallows to the sound of a tolling bell.A recording was made at Advision Studios by Howard Blake (piano)16.09.1982.

• 22: Score (Michel Rubini/Denny Jaeger with electronics by David Lawson)
  

  A killing

• 23: Score (Michel Rubini/Denny Jaeger with electronics by David Lawson) 6 minutes 25 seconds
  

  The denouement in the attic

• 24: Excerpt Piano Trio in E flat major by Franz Schubert (1797-1828), 1st movement arranged by Howard Blake, played by Ralph Holmes, Raphael Wallfisch and Howard Shelley 4 minutes 55 seconds
  

  Final sequence. The selling of the house, Sara taking over the role of Miriam, looking across Manhattan. The first movement of the Schubert Trio continues right through the end credits.

Notes

Howard was musical director on this film directed by Tony Scott starring Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie. Producer Dick Shepherd.

Howard's note: Tony wanted to create a score largely using classical music and I did much research, often going to his home in Wimbledon in the early morning with stacks of recordings to play to him. One of these was the duet for 2 sopranos from Delibes 'Lakme', which I found on an old recording featuring the French coloratura soprano Mady Mesplé. Tony chose this for the 'temple' scene between Deneuve and  Sarandon and I made a new recording of it for use in the film with two excellent sopranos, Elaine Barry and Judith Rees, myself conducting The Sinfonia of London. (This recording was later to become known world-wide when it was adopted by British Airways as their signature tune, Tony having directed the film.) Howard Shelley  joined with Ralph Holmes and Raphael Wallfisch to record the first 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 playing in the restaurant of Dolphin  Square, for which I wrote and played a 'Dolphin Square Blues'. The piano music that we see in the film, apparently played by Catherine Deneuve, is in fact played by myself, the improvisation on the theme from 'Lakme' by Delibes and Maurice Ravel's 'Le Gibet'. Tony wanted to add a synthesizer score and I introduced him to Hans Zimmer, then working at The Snake Ranch Studio in Fulham but Tony eventually used a score by Michel Rubini and Denny Jaeger with electronics by David Lawson. It is hard however to exactly separate these elements.