The Berlin composer and pianist joins us to discuss 'The Juniper Tree,' her new score for Nietzchka Keene's 1990 film starring Björk, written without the original soundtrack in her ears and pared back by the Japanese idea of ma.
------------------
This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on composer and pianist Midori Hirano.
Born in Kyoto and based in Berlin, Midori is out now with The Juniper Tree, a new score for Nietzchka Keene's 1990 film starring Björk in her first screen role.
We talk about writing without the original soundtrack in her ears, turning field recordings of birds and a waterfall into instruments, and how Pauline Oliveros and the Japanese idea of "ma" led her to strip the music down.
(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Midori Hirano's The Juniper Tree)
------------------
00:00 Introduction
00:57 Days before The Juniper Tree comes out
01:42 Acoustic piano, a MiniFreak, and modular synth
02:25 A surreal film about human nature
03:38 Comfortable with ambiguity
04:12 The Videodroom commission in Ghent
06:11 Writing without the original score
08:31 Composing around Björk
09:58 Piano pieces for Katla and Margit
12:15 Birds, a waterfall, and field recordings
14:09 Music without the pictures
15:55 Witchcraft as listening: Anna Bogutskaya's liner notes
17:15 Deep listening and Pauline Oliveros
19:17 What a director's brief gives her
21:48 Field recordings for the Expo
22:58 Two audiences, one experience
24:20 The Buchla at EMS and the SYNTHI 100 in Belgrade
27:38 Where her sound lives
29:43 Uji, Kyoto, and Berlin
31:38 Ma in The Juniper Tree
32:37 Learning to strip away layers
------------------
Visit Midori Hirano at → https://www.midorihirano.com
and follow on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/midori_hirano_/
Purchase 'The Juniper Tree' from Bandcamp → https://midorih.bandcamp.com/album/the-juniper-tree
and listen on your streaming platform of choice → https://album.link/i/6782200808
------------------
For extensive show notes, links, and podcast information, go to https://podcast.thetonearm.com
Be sure to check out The Tonearm, an online music + culture magazine featuring fascinating perspectives and conversations with creative people → https://www.thetonearm.com
The Tonearm on Mastodon → https://social.lol/@thetonearm
The Tonearm on Bluesky → https://bsky.app/profile/thetonearm.com
The Tonearm on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-tonearm/
------------------
• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice.
• Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter.
#Podcast #MidoriHirano #TheJuniperTree #FilmScore #ModularSynth #ThrillJockey #TheTonearm