“Every day is different”
From pastoral synth soundscapes to conducting for Paul Weller, life is a whirl for the Emmy-nominated
I’VE just hit earth!” says Hannah Peel, as she readjusts to reality after returning from the Emmy Awards in LA, where she was nominated for her soundtrack to Games Of Thrones documentary The Last Watch. It’s been a hectic period for the producer, composer and synth specialist; last year, while in the midst of making an album about the chalk landscapes of southern England with the poet Will Burns (Chalk Hill Blue, released to acclaim this March), she also found herself arranging and conducting the orchestra for Paul Weller’s Royal Festival Hall performances. “I had never scored for an orchestra before,” she reveals. “I don’t know if I would have pushed myself to do it if he hadn’t asked and encouraged me.”
The Emmy nomination she says was “huge – a lot of people in my category were Oscar-winning composers who have been doing it for years.” The soundtrack world has always been overwhelmingly male-dominated, but Peel is relieved that the culture is beginning to change in a way that has benefited her own evolution as a composer. “I’ve always felt like I can do things, but I’ve definitely been sidelined over the years,” she says. “The focus on having more female composers and conductors in recent years has allowed me to do so much more and develop quicker than I would have done 10 years ago. I’ve totally noticed a shift.”
These days, Peel’s skills are highly sought after – she’s currently working on soundtracks for two documentary films and a TV show, as well as co-hosting Radio 3’s Night Tracks – although she’s trying to clear space in her schedule to record a new solo album next year. “Every day is different,” she enthuses. “I do drag myself left, right and centre a bit, but I don’t see a problem. It keeps me inspired and creative – and you need that when you do collaborations, because you have to bring something to the situation that isn’t your everyday head.”
Collaboration is key for Peel, who is also a member of The Magnetic North (with Simon Tong and Erland Cooper) and has previously worked with John Foxx, Erol Alkan and OMD. She says that her alliance with Burns on Chalk Hill Blue added up to “something greater than the sum of our parts that was created very quickly, something you can’t verbalise.” Burns was equally enthused. “I feel this sense of wonder at what she’s able to do and the sounds she can make,” he says.
Having just issued a new 7in single (“Moth Book”/“wendover, Bucks”), Peel and Burns are about to bring their unique combination of electronic pulsations and nature poetry to the live arena for two shows in London and Barnsley, in conjunction with a woodwind quartet and the field recordings of former Cabaret Voltaire man Chris Watson. “I can hear musical themes around Will’s words,” Watson says of his decision to get involved. “Hannah’s compositions build on those to create something powerful and engaging.”
“It’s really magical,” concludes Peel, reflecting on Chalk Hill Blue’s ongoing evolution. “I want to bring that feeling of creation to an audience, so it feels like you’re watching the development of it. To bring the chalk hills into the Barbican and make it feel really immersive is a dream come true.”
Hannah Peel and Will Burns perform Chalk Hill Blue live at the Barbican, London (Oct 26) and The Civic, Barnsley (Nov 1)
“I do drag myself left, right and centre… It keeps me inspired and creative”