The Soundtrack Space: Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer (2023), directed by Christopher Nolan, was a cultural moment. It sparked much conversation, not merely due to the ‘Barbenheimer’ craze. Ludwig Göransson’s score for Oppenheimer was a significant aspect of discussion surrounding the film; he even went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The critical acclaim it garnered reflects the inventiveness of the composition and the way it captures aspects of science through music.

Göransson is no stranger to creating incredibly unique compositions for film and television. Prior to Oppenheimer, he had previously won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the Black Panther soundtrack.  He also wrote the music for the Star Wars: The Mandalorian television series. Göransson worked with Oppenheimer’s director, Nolan, before on Tenet, and is collaborating with him again for The Odyssey.

The most identifiable pieces from the Oppenheimer soundtrack, and I would argue one of the greatest pieces of modern composition, is ‘Can You Hear The Music’. This beautiful track includes a crescendo played on the violin that builds up and tumbles out into a remarkable melody. The strings are accompanied by a distorted synth sound that adds a level of drama and danger; these haunting sounds are very distinctive of Göransson’s score and are a brilliant way to capture the pressing themes and important moments of the film. It almost sounds like the process of creation, of scientific thought, that Oppenheimer undergoes in this scene. The rapidly increasing tempo towards the end, to me, reflects the nuclear process that goes into the atomic bomb.

The tone is eerie, with high-pitched strings that are almost difficult to listen to – it is an unsettling, uncomfortable opening

Radical shifts in tempo permeate Göransson’s Oppenheimer soundtrack. One melody builds up, only to be cut off by a new melody, which sounds like a completely different piece. An example of this is in ‘Trinity’. This piece uses fast strings to evoke suspense and danger. The clashing instruments crescendo to a point at which it becomes uncomfortable to listen to. This then bluntly cuts off to begin a different melody. These drastic tempo changes set the tone of the film, as viewers are in suspense and left feeling slightly unsettled by the events and Nolan’s often jarring cinematography.

The track, ‘Gravity Swallows Light’, opens with low notes that differentiate it from the violin melody used previously. The tone is eerie, with high-pitched strings that are almost difficult to listen to – it is an unsettling, uncomfortable opening. This later shifts into a string melody. Göransson employs an almost electronic, ticking clock sound in the background that gives the piece a sense of urgency.

‘American Prometheus’ is one of my favourite pieces from Göransson’s soundtrack because I believe it captures the essence of the film. The high-pitched strings contrast with the low strings in the background that provide a sense of pressure to the melody. The strings crescendo into the motif first introduced in ‘Can You Hear The Music’. The title of the track refers to how Oppenheimer was believed to be the American figuration of Prometheus, the ambitious overreacher who strives for humanity’s betterment.

Göransson’s soundtrack for Oppenheimer is an incredible accomplishment that provides the backdrop for Nolan’s three-hour feat of filmmaking

In ‘Atmospheric Ignition’, Göransson employs unusual sounds to create an unsettling piece of music. There is a ticking sound that speeds up to suggest time running down, overlaid by synth sounds. This soon cuts off to be replaced by a low string melody. There is also a melody that, to me, resembles construction sounds, like the sound of hammering on steel. It is an unusual piece.

Nothing sounds quite as disconcerting as the piece titled ‘What We Have Done’. The melody sounds melancholic from the start. As the strings reach a screeching pitch, there is a sudden shift to a terrifying, distorted sound, which resembles the music of a horror film. This perhaps represents the horror at the power they have unleashed through the creation of the atomic bomb.

Göransson’s soundtrack for Oppenheimer is an incredible accomplishment that provides the backdrop for Nolan’s three-hour feat of filmmaking. It is an often stressful listening experience due to the tempo and unnerving synth sounds; I would recommend listening to it as motivation for your next essay!