The Banshees of Inisherin
(Digital)

Hollywood Records presents the soundtrack for the drama The Banshees of Inisherin. The album contains the music composed by Carter Burwell.

Hollywood Records presents the soundtrack for the drama The Banshees of Inisherin. The album contains the music composed by Carter Burwell.

The soundtrack is available digitally since October 21, 2022.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a 2022 black comedy-drama directed by Martin McDonagh with Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan.

Set in a small island town in 1923, during the Irish Civil War, folk musician Colm Doherty declares that he no longer wishes to speak to long-time friend and drinking buddy Pádraic Súilleabháin. Pádraic, though nice, is too dull for Colm, who wishes to spend the remainder of his life composing music and having stimulating conversations.
As Pádraic grows increasingly distressed at this rejection and his loneliness, Colm grows more resistant to his old friend's attempts to speak to him.
Colm eventually gives him the ultimatum that every time Pádraic speaks to him, he will cut off one of his own fingers…..

More info at: Official Web Site Searchlight Pictures

More info at: Composer Carter Burwell Official Site

Hollywood Records is excited to announce the release of The Banshees of Inisherin (Original Score) with music composed by Academy Award-nominated Carter Burwell. The 21-track album debuts October 21, 2022, on all streaming platforms.

Hollywood Records is excited to announce the release of The Banshees of Inisherin (Original Score) with music composed by Academy Award-nominated Carter Burwell. The 21-track album debuts October 21, 2022, on all streaming platforms.

Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin is directed and written by Martin McDonagh and also releases in theaters today.

A frequent collaborator of McDonagh’s, Academy Award®-nominated composer Carter Burwell previously worked on three of his films, starting with In Bruges. He also worked on Seven Psychopaths, as well as his Oscar-nominated score for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, their last collaboration.

“We have similar sensibilities,” explains Burwell. “Martin’s writing is very particular – it involves a dark view of the world, a really vicious sense of humor, and a lot of humanity. That combination is something we have in common.”

McDonagh has always involved Burwell at script stage before the film is shot. “I approach every film as its own world. Even though Martin and I have done several films together and they’re all Martin McDonagh films, they’re all different.”

Initially McDonagh already had, for one section of the film, a piece in mind that’s performed by a Balinese gamelan ensemble – mostly metallic instruments. “I happen to be a big fan of gamelan music,” continues Burwell. “It’s also a bit strange for a movie taking place in Inisherin. But I kind of like the strangeness, and I found myself weaving gamelan instruments into the score as an experiment.”

In addition to the gamelan Burwell used three main instruments: the celeste – a keyboard that plays bell sounds – the harp, and the flute. He says, “These are all very pretty, almost childlike instruments, which wouldn’t be out of place in a fairy tale. They fit Pádraic, who is a little bit of a man-child. As you follow the dark road that the story goes down, the music starts to feel more ironic. Even though these were all very light sounds, the tunes are not.” Burwell also worked with a small but strong orchestra at Abbey Road in London.

The Movie

Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, The Banshees of Inisherin follows lifelong friends Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. A stunned Pádraic, aided by his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan), endeavors to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer.
But Pádraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.

Carter Burwell

Carter Burwell has composed the music for more than 90 feature films, including Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Rob Roy, Fargo, The Spanish Prisoner, Gods and Monsters, Velvet Goldmine, Three Kings, Being John Malkovich, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (BAFTA Nominee for Film Music), Before Night Falls, A Knight’s Tale, Adaptation, No Country for Old Men, In Bruges, Burn After Reading, Twilight, Where the Wild Things Are (Golden Globe Nominee for Best Original Score), A Serious Man, The Blind Side, The Kids Are All Right, True Grit, Mr. Holmes, Legend, Anomalisa, Hail, Caesar!, Carol (2015 Nominee for Best Original Score Oscar and Golden Globe, won LA Film Critics Choice Award for Best Music Score), The Founder, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2019 Oscar shortlist for Best Score), and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021 Oscar shortlist for Best Score).

In 2017 Burwell wrote the music for Martin McDonagh’s film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. Burwell received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his work for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and won the British Independent Film Award for Best Music on behalf of the film. In 2012 he composed the score for McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths starring Michael Pitt, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, Abbie Cornish and Christopher Walken.

For television, Burwell wrote the music for Apple’s series “The Morning Show” starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, and Steve Carell, which had its first season premiere on November 1, 2019. The second season of “The Morning Show” premiered on September 17, 2021.

Burwell worked with Todd Haynes on HBO’s mini-series “Mildred Pierce” starring Kate Winslet for which Burwell was nominated for two Emmy Awards, winning in the category of Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score).

His theater work includes the chamber opera The Celestial Alphabet Event and the Mabou Mines productions Mother and Lucia’s Chapters of Coming Forth by Day.

In 2005 he developed a concert work for text and music titled Theater of the New Ear, presented in New York, London, and Los Angeles. The text, by Joel and Ethan Coen and Charlie Kaufman, was performed by a dozen actors including Meryl Streep, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hope Davis, Peter Dinklage, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The music was performed by the 8-member Parabola Ensemble, conducted by Mr. Burwell.

His writing includes the essays 'Music at Six: Scoring the News Then and Now,' published in the inaugural issue of Esopus magazine in 2003 and reprinted in Harper's Magazine in 2004, “No Country For Old Music” in the 2013 Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics, and “How Nino Rota Saved Me from a Subterranean Freakout” in Arcana IX, 2021

( - White Bear PR - Hollywood Records - )

More info at: Official Web Site Searchlight Pictures

More info at: Composer Carter Burwell Official Site