Behind the Scenes: Composing Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
This week, 'Behind the Scenes' takes you quite literally behind the curtain as we focus on the Senior Production of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Our pupils have been fully immersed in rehearsals—during school, after school, and over the weekend— dedicating themselves to bringing this production to life.
An original score, composed by student Shravan, makes this production particularly special. As a talented musician studying at the Royal Academy of Music, Shravan composed a completely new musical interpretation of the play. His score captures the emotional depth of the story, using the mandolin as a central voice—one that reflects both the beauty of Corelli and Pelagia’s love and the heartbreak of war.
If you haven’t heard it already, listen to Shravan’s composition here:
We asked Shravan to share more about his role as composer:
What was your inspiration for composing the score for Captain Corelli’s Mandolin?
How a Score Bloomed from the Depths of War and Love
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin centres on Antonio Corelli, an Italian soldier, and Pelagia, a young Greek woman, on opposite sides of the Italian occupation of the island of Cephalonia during World War II. The conflicting thoughts of Corelli—his loyalty to his country and his newfound affection towards Pelagia—underpin the emotive colours of my music for this narrative. But it is their love which flowers and serves as an everlasting reminder, through an unlikely sonorous source: the strings of a mandolin, my main source of inspiration for Greek musical flavours.
Incidental Opening Music
My incidental opening music comes to life through a remorseful oboe theme in D minor, having a sense of uncertainty conveyed through Greek-influenced chord progressions, including modal and added harmonies. Despite this grim opening outlook, in the middle section, I deliberately allow a delicate F major cello solo, accompanied by warm and loving Mediterranean sounds and melodic fragments of the mandolin, to shine through. This motif later becomes the pivotal theme of Pelagia’s March, played on its rightful instrument—the mandolin.
Incidental Transition Music
I reuse the chord progression of my opening motif, in C minor. This allows a distorted mandolin melody line to journey from inevitable sorrow, with suspense generated by the dissonant harmonies of the violin and cello pizzicato, to a glimmer of hope by ending in the tonic major key, foreshadowing the significance of Corelli and Pelagia’s love.
Pelagia’s March
I recycle this motif throughout the narrative, starting it out in F major with charming tremolos on a delicate mandolin, and later reappearing in a more densely orchestrated score in E flat major. It begins in the minor, incorporating darker and more chromatic, dissonant harmonies as the war progresses and interferes with the love story between the protagonists, leading to the massacre of Corelli’s Italian comrades for surrendering to the Greeks. My opening theme reverberates throughout the middle section to remind the audience of the grim outlook foreshadowed by the opening incidental music, but the overall major key indicates a hopeful future for the star-crossed lovers.
Final Pelagia’s March
I bring my motif’s journey to a close in its final return—a grand mandolin solo in D major for the last scene, where Corelli reminds Pelagia of the motif which brought them together, and the motif which reunites them after the war. The underscoring which accompanies the final dialogue develops into a fully-fledged orchestral score, allowing the opening motif and the Pelagia’s March theme to echo for a final time while preserving the essence. The coda’s emphasis on my main motifs serves as a reminder of the transcendental power of love to all audiences, and its ability to withstand all hardships such as conflict and war, assimilated through my melodies as they reverberate into the atmosphere, carrying the eternal bond of Corelli and Pelagia out to the hearts of the audience.
How long did it take you to compose the music?
I started work in October, and with regular briefings about edits and improvements, the music was completed in January.
What has it been like hearing it in action?
It’s the first time anyone in school has performed my music, so hearing my imagination come to life through talented players is something any budding composer looks forward to.
What instruments did you compose for?
Violin, cello, oboe, piano, and—most importantly—the mandolin. Without this instrument, the play wouldn’t exist.
Have you done anything like this before?
I had the opportunity to compose for ensembles as part of the Purcell School Online Composition Academy, which ran workshops during COVID. That experience piqued my interest and allowed me to write in different styles for professional ensembles.
Could you share a bit about your experience with composing?
I started composing in the Thirds, and during COVID, my musical output increased. This led to commendations from BBC and The Commonwealth Resounds for my competition submissions. Recently, I was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music, where I’ve had the privilege of working with world-leading youth ensembles and orchestras.
A huge well done to everyone involved in bringing this production to life!
