Home / Arts and Entertainment / Composer's Haunting Woodwind Score Elevates Missile Crisis Drama
Composer's Haunting Woodwind Score Elevates Missile Crisis Drama
6 Nov, 2025
Summary
- Director Kathryn Bigelow personally recruited composer Volker Bertelmann
- Bertelmann used techniques like singing and humming in the instruments to create an eerie, moaning sound
- Bertelmann drew inspiration from "creatures under the Earth" to capture the gravity of the missile crisis
In the Netflix thriller "A House of Dynamite," director Kathryn Bigelow dramatizes the government's response to a missile from an unknown origin heading towards a U.S. city within 20 minutes. For the film's score, Bigelow personally recruited composer Volker Bertelmann to craft an evocative and intense musical backdrop.
Bertelmann worked with musicians at George Martin's AIR Studios to develop a unique sound using woodwinds and other instruments. "I asked them to sing in the instrument and hum while they were playing to get this kind of moaning," Bertelmann explained. "I had the feeling there are creatures somehow under the Earth who are moaning in a way, crying silently about what's happening on Earth. I was trying to figure out how I could achieve that with woodwinds."
The resulting score is a haunting, moaning soundscape that matches the gravity of the impending missile crisis depicted in the film. Bertelmann's innovative approach and the skilled musicians at AIR Studios have elevated the tense drama with a memorable and emotionally resonant musical accompaniment.
