by Rafael May
The score to The Twelve plays with the internal psychological journeys of complex character relationships.
The music emotionally reflects family betrayal, failed loves and the search for connection between people thrown together to judge an accused, when their own lives are far from innocence.
I started the score contrasting the rival themes in a sensational court case. They were the prosecutor’s story of grooming, abuse by an arrogant and selfish artist leading to murder and dumping of the body in the waters of Sydney Harbour. Then the defence’s story of familial love, shared artistic passions and warmth. The choices are murky and contradictory and the score never reveals the truth until the last betrayal. To this aim, I avoided finding out the verdict before I got to work on the final episode. To underscore the mystery, the music takes on organic textures twisted in electronic tones and neoclassical elements: solo violin and cello, deep piano chords, detuned guitars, synthesised ambiences, set by dark bass lines; I love music consisting of things you can visualise and melodically poignant, backed with murky undefined bespoke elements.
Requiem was created as a final theme for all episodes and is the signifying theme for the series. It was written after the rest of the music for Episode One and Episode Two was complete and was done incredibly fast. It is a mourning for the loss of a young promising life in a watery grave played as a beautiful violin and cello lament with sensuous chordal motives sustained over held bass.
Fallen was created for the heartless actions and subsequent guilt of one of the jury dumping an injured illegal worker they employed on a building site. It is one of the most dramatic pieces in the series. The music is of loss of control with unavoidable consequences. A falling synthesiser motif speaks of loss of innocence through choices made (and is a repeating melodic theme in the series) while underneath, an intense percussive background pulsates, created by striking an acoustic guitar, distorting and detuning it. There is an insatiable pull in the music as each wrong turn inevitably forces another.
Family Ties is a warm and loving reminder of where the perfect family life could be. Our characters’ home lives are heavily impacted by the ordeal of the trial and the choices they have to make. This music was written at a point of respite and glows with angelic guitars and tonal treatments. Gentle but a bittersweet reflection of loss of comfort.
The Twelve soundtrack is available now on all music streaming services.
