Drawing us in with a haunting, rising orchestral energy with pizzicato motifs and cerebral wind instrumentation, Barton Kaye opens A Brave Hallow’s Eve with dimensionality reflective of the season. There is no doubt that the opus holds a high emotional quotient and cinematic allure. We connect with the intricacy of the performances from the Vienna Synchron Orchestra, and the cohesive tapestry of sound that manifests.
We are reminded of the architecture of Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky and connect with the sonic ebbs and flows that manifest with sublime and ethereal tremolos. The grace of the woodwinds is evocative and transportive, tapping into nocturnal, transcendental notions with whimsical flair.
The story behind the music is truly compelling. We learn that A Brave Hallow’s Eve was originally conceived as a short film, potentially brought to life through stop-motion animation. The story follows a young man visiting his mother’s grave on Halloween night.
Drawn into the woods by ghostly lights, he discovers a midnight gathering of dancing spirits. This truly comes to life with the more ethereal elements of the opus. Among them is a girl from his past, someone he never found the courage to tell how he felt. As they dance, old feelings finally find expression. Though as the narrative goes, when midnight strikes, she disappears with the spirits. This is brought to life with the more introspective segments of the piece, midway through. A final twist turns the story on its head, leaving us to reconsider who has truly come to visit whom.
Belgian composer Barton Kaye, also known as Bart Ketelaere, composed and orchestrated the piece himself. He conducted the Vienna Synchron Orchestra at Synchron Stage in Vienna with orchestration advice from Conrad Pope, whose credits include work with John Williams and Alexandre Desplat. The piece was mixed by Mikko Raita and is available in stereo and Dolby Atmos on Apple Music.
Kaye’s experience spans film, television and orchestral performance. Before focusing more closely on film composition, he scored more than 400 episodes for Belgian broadcaster VRT and created over 250 themes for primetime series. His recent credits include Interview with History, alongside short films The Birth of a Hysterical Woman and Lifecoach.
We can easily imagine A Brave Hallow’s Eve accompanying films such as Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, The Book of Life, Sleepy Hollow and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. On television, it could land a sync or score placement in Wednesday, Over the Garden Wall, His Dark Materials, The Haunting of Hill House and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added A Brave Hallow’s Eve to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Barton Kaye, including Aan zee and De missie from his debut album.