2013
Quench
ben foSter Leanne dixon sat down to chat with doctor Who maestro ben foster, the conductor and orchestrator of the soundtrack to the time Lord’s adventures. Hi Ben, how does it feel working on a show that you loved watching growing up? It’s a big responsibility working on a show that you loved because you want to make sure that it is the way you want it to be, but also that other people are going to enjoy it. It’s a thrill, and it doesn’t really feel like work sometimes, even though the schedules are pretty tough and the nights are pretty late, instead it does have an element of doing something that’s a real treat and doing something that’s collectively exciting. People are really looking forward to seeing the next episode, and I’m the same really, so when we get to see the new episodes and we are working on the music, it is a really exciting process.
We are always delighted when a concert sells out so quickly! We first did the Doctor Who prom in 2008 and to bring it back this was obviously very exciting both for us and the audience. We’ve toured in Australia, we are going back there in 2014 and hopefully there will be other tours in the future, as there is a great audience worldwide. But hopefully we won’t forget that we can perform this music in the UK and there will be more concerts to come. The music is recognised in its own right and that’s fantastic, as is the fact that it’s available on CD. The record label Silva Screen have been incredibly supportive in putting the music out so that people can enjoy it away from the TV show. It’s great that Murray writes such strong themes that people can recognise them away from the show itself, and I think that helps the concerts, it also helps the CD and it also helps people to be able to play the music away from the show and be able to imagine and remember the pictures, which I think is an important part of music for picture. I think the Doctor Who scores appeal to so many people for that reason alone, which is that they can listen to them in their daily lives, whilst on the train or jogging or walking the dog, and they can escape into the world of the Doctor simply by listening to the music. It’s a fantastically powerful thing that exists separately to the show itself and which we are delighted about.
What is your relationship with [composer] Murray Gold and what is your role as orchestrator? I’ve worked with Murray now since 2005 so we have a very clear, and very well organised relationship. We are also very good friends which certainly helps when you are in a bit of a pinch, because we rely on each other. I love working on Doctor Who with him and the music he writes is full of life, love and character, and it’s a pleasure to orchestrate. My role as orchestratror is to bring to life Murray’s piano sketches: sometimes he will write in a more detailed way, sometimes its just a piano sketch, which I will then transform into an orchestral form. The process of bringing Doctor Who to life is one that involves the National Orchestra of Wales as very much the heart of the sound of the music and they are people we really rely on to bring the music to life. They do an amazing job of recording a lot of music in a very short space of time but not in a way that is boring, they do it in a way that is full of life and commitment, and really the music of Doctor Who wouldn’t be the same without them. You’ve already mentioned the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the life they bring to the music of the show. How has your relationship with them developed over the years? I’m very clear about what we can achieve in a short space of time and I know the individual players pretty well, so when I write the orchestrations I think of them personally, I think of who might be playing this part and what character they can bring to it. To my mind they really are the Doctor Who orchestra and they always will be. I hope we will always be recording the music for the show with them; they are a very important part of it. The Doctor Who Prom sold out two shows in less than an hour this year, are you happy that the music of the show is recognised in its own right?
When you were first approached to be a part of the show did you still expect it to be running now? I guess so, because the show ran for such a long time before, and there was always the hope that they would bring it back. I’m not surprised because as soon as it returned, you realised how much it had been missed and how a new generation of fans were ready to take it on and love it as much as the previous generation did, who of course still love it now. So it’s a massive shared experience not just in the UK but all around the world.
I’m very clear about what we can achieve in a short space of time
My favourite piece from the show is Goodbye Pond, what is yours? I’d have to say The Long Song from The Rings of Akhatan episode. We performed it at the proms, and it’s a really anthemic and joyful piece. What else you are working on at the moment? A series for the BBC called Hidden Kingdom, which is a three part nature drama about the smallest creatures on the planet, which should be broadcast at the end of 2013. I’m composing, conducting and orchestrating the music, and hopefully it’s going to be really great.
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