Rachel Portman
Biography
Rachel Portman stands as one of the most significant film composers of recent decades, having been the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Soundtrack for ‘Emma’ in 1997. She has received two further Academy Nominations for ‘The Cider House Rules’ (2000) and ‘Chocolat’ (2001), which also earned her a Golden Globe Nomination. Portman was also the first female composer to win a Primetime Emmy Award for the film ‘Bessie’. In 2023 she received her second Primetime Emmy Award for “Julia”. Over a career spanning almost 40 years, Portman has been nominated for over 27 international awards and composed music for over 100 award-winning productions in her distinctive and melodious style. Her works include scores for films and series such as ‘The Duchess’, ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘One Day’, ‘Beloved’, ‘The Manchurian Candidate’, ‘Never Let Me Go’, ‘A Dog’s Purpose’, ‘The Vow’, ‘Life Is Sweet’ and ‘Their Finest’.
Rachel Portman, a committed environmentalist, often draws inspiration from nature and climate related topics for her music. This is evident in ‘Endangered’ (2013), which she wrote for the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and ‘Earth Song’, which Portman composed collaborating with author Nick Drake for the BBC Singers and Joyce DiDonato for Earth Day 2019. In her first solo piano album ‘Ask the River’ (2019), and the oratorio ‘The Water Deviner’s Tale’ (premiered in 2007) - based on a text by Owen Sheers – she deals with themes inspired by nature and the climate crisis. In collaboration with Opera North, Portman developed ‘The Water Deviner’s Tale’ into an educational project aimed at playfully introducing school children to music and environmental topics. In recognition of these efforts, the project partners were awarded the ‘Music & Drama Education Award’ UK in 2023.
In addition to composing music for films and series, Rachel Portman has written various commissioned works for orchestras and soloists, as well as theatre and opera productions. These includes the opera ‘Le Petit Prince’ (premiered in 2003) based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novel for Houston Grand Opera, as well as works for the Royal Liverpool Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Joyce DiDonato, Raphaela Gromes and Jonas Kaufmann. In her recent solo piano album ‘Beyond the Screen’, released in 2023 by Sony Classical, the composer reflects on her career through new, self-recorded piano arrangements of some of her most well-known soundtracks.
Rachel Portman began playing the piano at the age of eight and later studied music and composition at the University of Oxford. She entered the world of film music by chance and grew to love it because it provided the opportunity to compose harmonically and to tell musical stories. Rachel Portman was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2009 and is also an honoury Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford and The Royal College of Music, London. She actively supports environmental conservation and musical education for children.
Current album
Rachel Portman: Tipping Points, Vivaldi/Kerschek: The New Four Seasons
Artists Rachel Portman, Niklas LiepeRelease Date: 03/29/2024
Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman and renowned violinist Niklas Liepe have collaborated on a compelling musical appeal for the preservation of nature, featured in the upcoming album set to be released by Sony Classical on April 5. Portman's newly composed suite for solo violin and orchestra – ‘Tipping Points’ – was written in conjunction with original poems by author Nick Drake. Additionally, the album features the world premiere recording of ‘The New Four Seasons’ by Wolf Kerschek, a cinematic reinterpretation of Vivaldi's famous composition. In her suite ’Tipping Points’, written especially for Niklas Liepe, Rachel Portman weaves the beauty of nature's four elements - air, water, fire and earth – into music. The title refers to the tipping points in the global ecosystem, which signify the points at which the damage from the ongoing climate crisis becomes irreparable. Comprised of six movements, the suite opens with ‘Invocation’, a call to awareness of nature's changes and concludes with a compelling epilogue urging reflection and action. These two pieces frame the four movements depicting the elements and throughout the suite, Nick Drake's poignant poems - narrated by actress Gráinne Dromgoole – intersperse with the musical narrative.
Rachel Portman reflects on her work, stating: "Niklas and I, together with Nick, aimed to create a suite for violin and orchestra, 'Tipping Points,' that explores the beauty of nature and its immediate threat. The suite begins with a call to listen and in the movements about the elements, I seek to capture their visual beauty through music. Nick's poems provide a secondary layer, vividly illustrating the threat while maintaining an undercurrent of hope."
Niklas Liepe adds: "Playing the violin is a continual quest for harmony and balance, particularly when collaborating with an orchestra. It's an indescribable, euphoric feeling when a piece written for you comes to life. The 'Tipping Points' in nature represent a state where harmonious balance becomes impossible in the interaction of all living beings, and we must work together to prevent this from happening."
Commissioned by the WDR Funkhausorchester Köln and the Norrlandsoperans Symphony Orchestra, ‘Tipping Points’ was recorded with the WDR Funkhausorchester under the baton of Erina Yashima. The work premiered in summer 2023 at the Beethoven Festival Bonn – one of the most important classical music festivals globally. The album also features three new orchestral arrangements of existing works by Rachel Portman: ‘On My Planet’ from her opera ‘The Little Prince’ and the piano compositions ‘Leaves and Trees’ and ‘Flight’.
The second work on the album ‘The New Four Seasons’ – another world premiere recording - is a new version of Antonio Vivaldi´s most famous composition by composer Wolf Kerschek. This new arrangement for solo violin and symphonic orchestra musically reflects the changing sound of the seasons amid the climate crisis. Wolf Kerschek comments: "The variety of musical expressions in European classical music has continuously expanded since Vivaldi's time. We have heard so much diverse music since then, with complex harmonies, irregular rhythms and influences from around the world. Many tonalities are already associated with seasonal phenomena in nature, so I could complement Vivaldi's music with additional musical associations without compromising the essence of his composition." The idea to commission a new arrangement of Vivaldi's ‘Four Seasons’ was conceived by Niklas Liepe, considering their alteration due to the climate crisis. He adds: "The way Vivaldi musically described the seasons is no longer our current experience. This trend will intensify dramatically in the future; hence this modernized version with a larger orchestra sounds more urgent and dramatic."
‘The New Four Seasons’ was commissioned by Niklas Liepe and also recorded with the WDR Funkhausorchester under the baton of Patrick Lange.
