Jeremy Sams on Persuasion

As we approach 250 years since Jane Austen's birth, Antonia Quirke speaks to composers who've scored original music for Austen adaptations about their musical choices and also about the music Austen encountered. This time, Jeremy Sams talks to Antonia about his BAFTA-winning score for a film Antonia has watched many times - the 1995 BBC adaptation of Persuasion, directed by Roger Michell. Jeremy tells Antonia about devising a theme for Anne Elliot, the book's central character, played by Amanda Root on screen. He talks about the melody's descending sevenths and how they capture Anne's internalized pain. Together, Antonia and Jeremy explore how Jeremy's soundtrack builds, through the Italian arias which Anne watches at a concert in Bath, to the circus scene which soundtracks the film's climax. They discuss the use of Bach and Chopin in the score and why they felt suitable for the film. Jeremy's score was never released as a soundtrack - but he plays excerpts of his compositions to Antonia, culminating in the final scene at sea which sees Anne embrace a very different future.
Credit: Persuasion, dir. Roger Michell, BBC Two, 1995

Presented by Antonia Quirke
Produced by Camellia Sinclair
Mixed by Ilse Lademann