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Brady Corbet’s monumental film The Brutalist stands as one of 2024’s most ambitious cinematic achievements, and its musical foundation proves equally extraordinary. The film’s score, composed by Daniel Blumberg, represents a remarkable seven-year collaboration between director and composer that resulted in over two hours of original music. Released by Milan Records on December 13, 2024, the soundtrack album showcases Blumberg’s evolution from indie rock veteran to one of cinema’s most distinctive voices. The partnership between Corbet and Blumberg began during the film’s conception, with the two working together on the film over a span of seven years. This extended gestation period allowed for an unprecedented level of musical integration, where composition and direction developed in tandem rather than as separate creative processes. The result is a 32-song, 81-minute opus that functions both as accompaniment to the film and as a standalone musical journey.
The Composer’s Journey
Daniel Blumberg’s path to film composition proves as unconventional as his musical approach. Originally known for his work with indie rock bands Yuck and Hebronix, Blumberg transitioned into experimental music and eventually film scoring. His background in deconstructed rock and avant-garde performance directly influences his approach to cinematic composition, bringing an outsider’s perspective to traditional orchestral writing.
The BAFTA-nominated indie rock veteran brings a unique sensibility to The Brutalist that reflects both his musical evolution and his deep understanding of the film’s thematic concerns. His previous collaboration with Corbet on the short film Gyuto (2019) established the foundation for their creative partnership, but The Brutalist represents a quantum leap in scope and ambition.
The composer’s experimental background proves crucial to the film’s sonic identity. Rather than approaching the score as a traditional orchestral work, Blumberg treats it as an extension of his experimental music practice, incorporating techniques from contemporary classical music, prepared instruments, and electronic manipulation.
Architectural Soundscapes
The Construction Motif
Central to Blumberg’s musical conception is the idea that construction sites create their own music. This philosophy permeates the entire score, with brass instruments like the trumpet conveying “very peculiar sounds related to the construction”. The composer transforms the mechanical sounds of building into musical elements, creating a sonic parallel to the film’s architectural themes.
In the film: During the early construction sequences, Blumberg’s score incorporates actual construction sounds—hammering, grinding, and mechanical noise—into the musical fabric. These sounds don’t simply accompany the action; they become rhythmic and tonal elements that drive the musical narrative forward.
Trivia: Blumberg recorded actual construction site audio during the film’s production, then processed these recordings through various techniques to create hybrid instrumental sounds. The result blurs the line between diegetic construction noise and non-diegetic musical score.
The Overture’s Architectural Structure
“Overture (Ship)”
The soundtrack opens with an overture in three parts, establishing the film’s musical architecture from its opening moments. This structure reflects Blumberg and Corbet’s intention to create a musical experience that parallels the film’s epic scope and formal construction.
In the film: The overture accompanies the film’s opening sequences, beginning with “Overture (Ship)” which features a metronomic prepared piano motif that emerges from sonic maelstrom. This progression from chaos to order mirrors László’s journey from displaced refugee to architectural visionary.
Trivia: The prepared piano techniques used in the overture draw from the work of experimental composer John Cage, but Blumberg applies them in service of narrative rather than abstract musical exploration. The preparation of the piano strings creates metallic, percussive sounds that evoke both the ship’s mechanical environment and the industrial construction that will follow.
“Overture (László)”
The overture’s second movement shifts dramatically to “delicately lyrical solo piano”, creating emotional space within the industrial soundscape. This contrast establishes a musical language that can accommodate both the film’s harsh architectural realities and its deeply human emotional core.
In the film: The lyrical piano passages accompany moments of intimate human connection, particularly between László and his wife Erzsébet. These sections provide emotional respite from the score’s more aggressive industrial elements, creating musical breathing room that allows the audience to connect with the characters’ humanity.
Trivia: The solo piano sections were recorded using a 1920s Steinway grand piano, chosen for its particular tonal qualities that Blumberg felt matched the film’s period setting. The instrument’s age gives these passages a slightly weathered quality that reflects the characters’ experiences as European refugees.
Genre-Blending Innovation
Industrial Jazz
Blumberg blended classical pianist John Tilbury’s work with deconstructed pianos, jazz, and synth, creating a musical palette that spans multiple genres and time periods. This approach reflects the film’s themes of cultural displacement and artistic evolution.
In the film: Jazz elements appear during scenes set in 1950s America, but Blumberg avoids simple period pastiche. Instead, he deconstructs jazz harmonies and rhythms, using them as raw material for more complex musical structures that reflect the characters’ psychological states rather than simply establishing historical period.
Trivia: Blumberg studied recordings of mid-century jazz pianists, particularly those who worked in experimental contexts. He then incorporated these harmonic and rhythmic elements into his orchestral writing, creating passages that feel both historically grounded and entirely contemporary.
Character-Specific Musical Portraits
Erzsébet’s Lament
László’s wife receives distinctly different musical treatment, with themes that emphasize emotional interiority and psychological complexity. Her music often contrasts with the monumental architectural themes, providing human scale within the epic narrative.
In the film: Erzsébet’s scenes feature chamber music textures—small instrumental groups that create intimate sonic spaces. These passages often include solo cello, an instrument whose expressive range mirrors her emotional journey from hope through disillusionment to tragic resolution.
Trivia: The cello parts were written specifically for the principal cellist of the London Symphony Orchestra, incorporating techniques that the performer had developed through years of contemporary classical music performance. These extended techniques create sounds that exist between traditional cello performance and more experimental approaches.
Technical Innovation and Recording Process
Prepared Piano Variations
The score makes extensive use of prepared piano, with metronomic prepared piano motifs serving as foundational elements throughout the film. These techniques transform the piano from a traditional melodic instrument into a percussive and textural element.
In the film: Prepared piano sounds often accompany scenes of physical labor and construction, with the modified instrument creating sounds that blur the line between musical performance and industrial noise. These passages make the score feel integral to the film’s physical environment rather than simply decorative.
Trivia: The piano preparation involved placing various objects—bolts, screws, rubber, and metal strips—between the strings at specific points. Blumberg worked with piano technicians to develop preparations that would produce precise pitches and textures while maintaining the instrument’s structural integrity throughout extended recording sessions.
The Intermission: A Musical Monument
Intermission (Part I)
The score includes a fifteen-minute Intermission, a bold structural element that provides both narrative pause and musical development. This extended piece functions as a musical monument within the larger work, offering time for reflection and emotional processing.
In the film: The Intermission occurs at the film’s midpoint, providing literal breathing space for both characters and audience. Rather than silence or simple ambient sound, Blumberg fills this space with evolving musical material that processes and develops themes from the first half while preparing for the dramatic developments to come.
Trivia: The Intermission was composed as a single, continuous piece that undergoes constant development throughout its fifteen-minute duration. Blumberg describes it as “musical architecture”—a structure that can be experienced and appreciated both as part of the larger work and as an independent composition.
Construction
One of the score’s most innovative aspects is its integration with the film’s sound design. Classical instruments sound industrial, while industrial sounds take on musical qualities, creating a sonic environment where the distinction between score and sound effects becomes meaningless.
In the film: Construction sequences feature sounds that function simultaneously as realistic environmental audio and as musical elements. The rhythm of hammering becomes percussion, the whine of machinery becomes sustained tones, and the crash of falling debris becomes orchestral accents.
Trivia: This integration required close collaboration between Blumberg and the film’s sound design team throughout the post-production process. Many elements were recorded and processed multiple times to achieve the precise balance between musical and environmental function.
Future Implications
The extended collaboration between Corbet and Blumberg, spanning seven years of development, suggests new models for how directors and composers might work together. Rather than the typical late-stage addition of music to completed visuals, this approach integrates musical and visual conception from the earliest stages of development.
This methodology may influence future film productions, particularly those dealing with complex thematic material that benefits from extended artistic development. The results demonstrate the potential for film music to achieve greater depth and integration when given sufficient time and creative support.
“Daniel Blumberg’s score for The Brutalist represents a remarkable achievement in contemporary film music, successfully integrating experimental techniques with traditional orchestral writing to create a sonic landscape that matches the film’s visual and thematic ambitions. The seven-year collaboration between composer and director results in music that feels essential to the film’s meaning rather than simply decorative.”
The score’s innovative approach to orchestration, its integration of industrial sounds with classical techniques, and its bold structural elements—particularly the fifteen-minute Intermission—establish new possibilities for how film music can function within extended narrative formats. Blumberg’s background in experimental music proves perfectly suited to the film’s exploration of artistic vision and cultural displacement.
The success of The Brutalist’s musical approach demonstrates that audiences are ready for more adventurous and intellectually challenging film scores. Rather than retreating into familiar emotional territories, Blumberg’s music demands active listening and offers rewards for those willing to engage with its complex sonic architecture.
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