Before becoming a film scorer, the Icelandic composer Jóhannsson, perhaps one of the most famous avant-garde musicians in the world, is considered a pioneer of the post-classical movement, creatively blending electronic music with classical orchestral music, whose artistic style was deeply influenced by both minimalist and Baroque music.
His works are therefore often novel and profound, with strong melancholy overtones. In Johnson's own words, he was "obsessed with the texture of sound... I am interested in minimalist forms, how to express things as simply as possible, how to distill things into original forms. ”
John Johnson
Some media believe that Johnson is one of the most acclaimed cutting-edge film soundtracks of the past decade. Much of this stems from his distinctive style of music, with Guardian author Joe McGus noting: "He never wrote music that sounded particularly easy. "A lot of the music is fun, but in all the music, you can hear the sound of darkness."
But this is not a mysterious darkness, nor is it an eye-catching darkness, as McGus put it: "Almost all of Johnson's music has an eternal theme: loss and disappearance, even if his work seems to be the simplest or sweetest, but it gives a deep feeling that if you listen too carefully, you will be swallowed up by it." 」 ”
It's an indescribable aesthetic style, not superficial decadence, nor empty rhetoric. In fact, Johnson is a complex composer, and in his music, the darkness is always permeated with a unique beauty.
Stills from Border Killer
At the age of 11, Johnson began studying piano and trombone in his hometown of Reykjavik, but gave up formal music training in high school and majored in literature and language at university. After that, he still chose the path of music and spent 10 years writing songs for indie rock bands, and became a rock musician. During this time, he used digital techniques to manipulate the resonance effects of traditional instruments, creating a new sound style.
The famous American music critic John Sheffield believed in an article that Johnson's later success in the field of film scoring was inevitable, and from his first album released in 2002, his unique compositional style can be clearly felt: the fusion of classical instrumental music and electronic music, forming a spacious and serene atmosphere, both relaxed and elegant.
In Sheffield's view, almost everyone who has heard Johnson's music thinks that his music is dramatic and cinematic. Among them was the American avant-garde film director Bill Morrison. In 2010, Morrison made the Miners' Hymns, a film that reflected britain's industrial history and the mining culture of north-east England, and asked Johnson to compose the soundtrack.
Miners' Ode live concert
Johnson's music for the film is dominated by brass bands, organs, and electronics. Although it was only a niche film, the soundtrack of "Ode to the Miners" attracted the attention of the film industry, including the famous Canadian director Dennis Villeneuve. He soon invited Johnson to play the soundtrack for the film Prisoners. The first collaboration was a joy, and Johnson went on to compose music for two Ofelonue's Oscar-nominated films, Sicario and Arrival.
During this period, Johnson also began to emerge at major awards around the world. In 2015, Johnson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for The Theory of Everything and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Border Killer brought him a second Oscar nomination for Best Original Score, as well as a British Academy Film Award nomination. In 2017, he was nominated for another British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award and a Golden Globe for Arrival. In particular, he won the World Soundtrack Award for Composer of the Year for two consecutive years in 2017 and 2018.
Stills from Advent
During this decade, Johnson composed music for several acclaimed films and documentaries in addition to scoring Hollywood films, including Chinese director Lou Ye's "The Mystery of the Floating City," "Tuina," and "Clouds Made of Rain in the Wind," Hungarian director Janno Sas's "A nagy füzet," and Danish director Max Kestner's "Dreams in Copenhagen." It is worth mentioning that Johnson later wrote music for another Danish director, Jacob Madsen's short film Copenhagen Dreams.
Looking back at the list of Oscar nominations for Best Original Score in the last decade, Johnson is the only new face to make the list twice. The late Enio Morricone was able to win the prize, and when the equally elderly John Williams was still a regular on the list, people really wanted to see newcomers like Johnson inject more new voices into Hollywood.
However, in February 2018, the 48-year-old Johnson passed away prematurely. Of the Icelandic composer, who has impressed the world in recent years, Joe Magus writes: "If we can get anything out of his work, it is that loss can be beautiful, and in the process of appreciating it, we can preserve something extremely fragile but very human, which is very important." ”
Stills from "A Cloud Made of Rain in the Wind"
In fact, he has left an indelible mark on the hearts of many young music fans around the world. In an online message about Johnson, Jamil Ahmed, a music fan from Italy, offered his compliments:
John Johnson was a brilliant artist who created a whole new musical environment. His broad vision transcends the boundaries of musical genres. His work is sincere, fearless, dynamic and innovative. He has the ability to create unique compositions that blend different musical styles.
His music has the power to carry great ethereal beauty that takes the listener on a thought-provoking, thrilling journey of introspection. Some of his works reflecting loss, failure, and tragedy have caused melancholy. This feeling can be described as a complex and sublime state, with intense sadness that makes the mind fluctuate.
In essence, his work is like an invitation to our inner or spiritual world. I don't think anyone can deny the extraordinary power of music. Above all, we can't really express it, we can only experience this beauty, this truth, this happiness.