Here is a scene from Ivan’s Childhood (1962) by Andrei Tarkovsky I scored recently. I recorded the soundtrack at the new Dolan Studio at New York University. Ivan’s Childhood is a Russian film depicting a story of an orphaned boy in the context of the horrifying realities of war. In this scene Ivan falls asleep and dreams of his sister and the peaceful childhood he had before the war started.
I wanted to score this moving scene with dignity, elegance, and tenderness. The folk waltz theme alludes to Ivan’s background, and the climactic piano and harp glissandi signify a type of a paradise which is the happiness encapsulated in memories.