Allen v. Farrow

Lakeshore Records presents the soundtrack for the HBO documentary series Allen v. Farrow. The album contains the music composed by Michael Abels.

Lakeshore Records presents the soundtrack for the HBO documentary series Allen v. Farrow. The album contains the music composed by Michael Abels.

The soundtrack is available digitally since June 11, 2021 (download).

HBO Documentary Films presents Allen v. Farrow, a Jane Doe Films Production from Oscar-nominated and award-winning investigative filmmakers Kirby Dick & Amy Ziering and Amy Herdy streaming now on HBO Max.

Allen v. Farrow is a four-part documentary series that goes behind decades of sensational headlines to reveal the private story of one of Hollywood’s most notorious and public scandals: the accusation of sexual abuse against Woody Allen involving Dylan, his then seven-year-old daughter with Mia Farrow; their subsequent custody trial, the revelation of Allen’s relationship with Farrow’s daughter, Soon-Yi; and the controversial aftermath in the years that followed. Once celebrated for their on and off-screen partnership, Farrow and Allen’s lives were irrevocably fractured and their sprawling family torn apart with the public disclosure of the abuse allegations and the vitriolic disputes that followed.

Says Abels: “In Allen v. Farrow — as with most documentaries — nearly all of the complex story is told through dialogue and narration, leaving less sonic space for music than in a fictional saga. Yet, there are heartwarming family memories brought to life here, as well as difficult moments of silence that convey emotions too deep to be easily expressed in words.

So, I wanted the score to provide a sense of forward motion in sections that are heavy with facts and information, to paint a joyful backdrop for the happy memories, and to be present for the awkward, uncomfortable emotional moments (rather than amplify them). I especially used piano, clarinet and strings to unify the score despite its stylistic variety. And it was great fun to write a bit of classic jazz to accompany the images of 20th-Century New York that are often identified with Woody Allen films.”

About Michael Abels
Michael Abels is best known for his scores for Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning debut Get Out, and for US, for which Abels won the World Soundtrack Award, the Jerry Goldsmith Award, a Critics’ Choice nomination, an Image Award nomination, and multiple critics awards.
The hip-hop influenced score for US was short-listed for the Oscar, and was named “Score of the Decade” by online publication The Wrap. Most recently, Abels composed the score and main title theme for the HBO four-part documentary series Allen V Farrow.
Other scores include Bad Education and Fake Famous for HBO, and See You Yesterday for Netflix.

Abels is co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective, an advocacy group to increase visibility of composers of color in film, game and streaming media. As a concert composer, Abels has received grants from the NEA and from Meet The Composer.
His orchestral works have been performed by the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and many others. As guest conductor of Get Out In Concert, Abels has led orchestras like the National Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony.
Several of his orchestral works have been recorded by the Chicago Sinfonietta on the Cedille label, including “Delights & Dances,” a work commissioned by the Sphinx Organization.
Recent projects include the ballet Falling Sky for Butler University, At War With Ourselves with Nikky Finney for the Kronos Quartet, and producing “Cry No More” for MacArthur Genius Rhiannon Giddens and the Metropolitan Opera Chorus.

More info at: Official Web Site HBO

More info at: Composer Michael Abels Official Site