Shogun composer Leopold Ross breaks down the show’s theme song

As part of Variety “Behind the Song,” “Shōgun” composer Leopold Ross set out the show’s dramatic main title theme.

What started as a simple email from a friend he had worked with in the past asking Ross to help work on the score for “Shōgun” turned into a nearly two-year collaboration with composer Nick Chuba, brother and composer Atticus Ross and arranger/composer Taro Ishida.

A historical drama series set in the early 17th century and based on the novel of the same name by James Clavell. The series follows the journey of John Blackthorne, an English navigator who is shipwrecked in Japan and becomes embroiled in the complex political and cultural landscape of the United States. country. While navigating this strange world, Blackthorne becomes entangled in the power struggle between feudal lords, especially the ambitious daimyo, Lord Toranaga. The cast includes Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Toranaga, Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne and Anna Sawai as Lady Mariko.

One of the first ideas for the theme was Chuba playing the nose flute, because Justin Marks (co-creator and showrunner) felt this particular instrument reminded the world. Once that central principle was introduced, the next step was to expand on it from there.

“It became a matter of building from here and turning it into a theme that encompassed the world of ‘Shōgun’ and matched the epic scale of the visuals,” said Ross.

After the introduction of the nose flute, Ross suggested incorporating a bamboo flute called the shakuhachi, known for its rich lower register. But it was with the introduction of the third instrument, the hichiriki, that composers were able to elevate and metaphorize the meaning of their scores.

“The hichiriki is a very small, raspy reed instrument that really became one of the signature sounds of the show because of the way it responded to our processing. It is placed in this indescribable world where it is not ancient, and not modern, and not Eastern, and not Western; it just exists between the lines,” he explained.

With all the instruments beginning to swell to form a cacophonous sound, Ross needed a way to ground and bridge everything with a softer and gentler tone.

That’s where Buddhist monks came in.

Ross and his team were allowed to record monks performing at a festival in their temple, and they were able to use one of the phrases in the recording to “transition from beauty to brutality.”

When he saw his finished work, Ross recalled feeling “tremendously proud” of the series and his role in it.

“I felt immense pride when I saw the series again and connected on such a broad level. We thought it would be a niche artwork, you know what I mean? We didn’t expect it to turn into this monster,” he says. “It’s just an honor to be involved in a project where the level of craftsmanship across the entire production is at such a high level, and it pushed us because we wanted to rise to that bar. It’s just a humbling and amazing feeling.”

Watch the entire conversation above.

Additional reporting by Tiana DeNicola.