Hit Netflix show and Shondaland original: "Bridgerton" is cementing itself as a mainstay in just about everyone's living room screens with its new season's massive appeal across the world.
One element that helped its success is its wholly original and identifiable sound, something that won't bat an eye when placed in either modern contexts or in the classical canon.
This blend of music from the present and the past has only helped audiences connect with the show's narrative even more. That said, the question is: how did they find this unique sound?
According to Oscar-winning series composer Kris Bowers, it's through a lengthy trial-and-error "journey" between eras, from hip-hop to the 1800s and back up to Ravel.
Finding the 'Bridgerton' Sound
In an interview with Classic FM, Bowers recalled how he and the showrunners created the perfect soundscape pair to the "Bridgerton" mix of conversational design plucked from our modern world and inclinations accurate to the Regency era period where it is set.
However, it wasn't as easy as it might seemed, with the composer saying that he went a little too heavy in the modernity in his first go around finding a sound for the show. Bowers did this by chopping up samples of music he made mimicking the period's distinct sonic profile.
"Then I made pop tracks with them, with hip-hop beats," he added. "But that wasn't the direction they wanted to go in!"
He also overshot a bit on his second try, but this time in the opposite direction. In doing this, Bowers wrote "incredibly accurate" pieces for the period and recorded them in a "really modern way," which produced a sound that felt "too much of the time."
What pushed Bowers to finally uncover the perfect sound for the show was his interactions with showrunner and American TV producer Chris Van and music supervisor Alex Patsavas.
The former offered a revelation to the composer by sending Bowers a selection of his favorite piano pieces by the French composer Maurice Ravel. This recommendation flipped a switch in Bowers' mind, saying he hadn't thought about going between the 1800s and today.
His excitement was partly rooted in the fact that a new dimension of music was then open to him regarding the show's sonic identity, allowing him to "pull from other periods and other composers and other styles."
As for Patsavas, he sent Bowers some classical covers, which eventually became major musical highlights in the show. In the first season, these covers were Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams", Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" and Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next."
Bowers said that the inclusion of these songs made it easier for viewers, especially those who are younger, to connect with the show's characters empathetically.
In fact, the Vitamin String Quartet, one of the show's frequent features, has even experienced major success due to its Taylor Swift cover, proving the rendition's connection with the audiences.
All in all, Bowers deems this search successful, especially after hearing about the influx of younger people wanting to get into classical music, saying, "It's amazing to be a part of a show that's inspiring people to pick up an instrument and get into classical music."
