Composer Jonny Greenwood, better known as the guitarist for Radiohead, announced following a February show at BBC’s Maida Vale Studios that he is composing the score for a film adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s popular novel, Norwegian Wood.
You may remember Greenwood’s solo work from a few years ago, when There Will Be Blood struck musical gold (or oil, if you prefer) after Paul Thomas Anderson recruited him to provide the film score. The original soundtrack stemmed from “Popcorn Superhet Receiver,” a piece Greenwood debuted in 2005 with the BBC Concert Orchestra. In a similar transformation, Norwegian Wood’s music will be an amplification of “Doghouse,” the piece that Greenwood (BBC Concert Orchestra composer-in-residence since 2004) showcased last month to a select few.
Directed by Tran Anh Hung, the movie is slated for release in Japan before the end of the year (see stills here). If done well, the Murakami/Radiohead association will guarantee every third person between the age of 17 and 27 as a fan. If not, you can always press mute and play The Beatles on your acoustic guitar.
On Friday, March 19, BBC Radio 3 will broadcast the performance of “Doghouse” and a preview of the Norwegian Wood score at 2 PM.
• Radiohead: http://www.radiohead.com
[Photo: Michell Zappa]