Composer Lorne Balfe channels the Genius of Pablo Picasso for National Geographic TV. (Photo courtesy Film.Music.Media All Access)

Getting inside the head of painter Pablo Picasso presented an interesting challenge for composer Lorne Balfe, who thought in terms of the “color” of instruments for the second season series score to National Geographic’s critically acclaimed series Genius. Balfe utilized flamenco guitar and the accordion to brush in both the episodic music and a reimagined theme, collaborating once again with Hans Zimmer to update the title music that earned the duo an Emmy nomination in the show’s freshman year, when it focused on Albert Einstein.

The Scotland-born Balfe, 42, says the new sound reflects Picasso’s sensibilities as well as the sort of music from which the Spanish artist drew inspiration during his life. On July 6, Balfe’s “Genius Pablo Picasso Suite” will receive its world premiere, in Málaga, Spain, hometown to both Picasso and the series star Antonio Banderas. The music will be performed by the renowned Málaga Orchestra as part of the third edition of MOSMA, the Movie Score Málaga Festival.

In addition to Banderas as the mature Picasso, the painter is portrayed as a young man by Alex Rich. Written and directed by Kenneth Biller, the series explores the iconoclast’s rejection of traditional painting and search for his singular style while confronting the threat of fascism in Spain. 

Lorne Balfe has composed for nearly 120 film and television projects.  His recent sole composer credits include Pacific Rim: Uprising, Geostorm, Churchill and The Lego Batman Movie. He produced Zimmer’s music for last year’s Academy Award-nominated Dunkirk, and collaborates with Rupert Gregson-Williams on the Netflix series The Crown.

These days, Balfe is spending a lot of time in London, recording with full orchestra the score for Paramount’s summer action tentpole, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin,  Rebecca Ferguson and Ving Rhames. MaxTheTrax editor in chief Paula Parisi reached out to Balfe to learn more about his creative process and the scores to his latest works.

MaxTheTrax: How does the new season of Genius differ from last season musically?
Lorne Balfe: Well, the biggest influence is our lead character’s background and where he was from and where he traveled. Everywhere he created is an influence to the score. His French period was a massive influence. And not only where he lived, but the interaction with the people he met affects the music. There is a hint of the concept of the last season of Genius. But really we wanted to create a whole new color and tone. Because literally it looks different and also you’re dealing with a more dynamic and colorful character.

MaxTheTrax: So musically then, how did you emulate Picasso then? In terms of instrumentation, is there something different that you felt expressed Pablo Picasso more?
Lorne Balfe: I think the point of it really was to try to musically create a color that didn’t exist before. Mainly because none of us could ever imagine what was going on in his head at the time. So his soundtrack never really existed. We knew the type of music that he listened to and the traditional Spanish music that he liked. But also he was very progressive with the classical music that he liked. We wanted to create something that hadn’t existed before. We did incorporate traditional Spanish instruments, flamenco guitar, but also more a-tonal and more contemporary orchestrations with other instruments mainly due to the fact that’s what he was listening to.

MaxTheTrax: Did the producers give you any input musically on what they were looking for?
Lorne Balfe: Yes. Antonio also was quite involved. He’s very passionate about traditional Spanish music, so he had a lot of musical suggestions that he brought to the table. I think that you just start off the same as with Einstein. You just start off researching these characters. And with Einstein we saw somebody who was very good at playing the violin. So that was an interesting color that we could bring to the score. And with Picasso, it really was the fact that his paintings were drastically different to anything that existed at the time, So we were able to use different instrumentation with the French accordions, classical Spanish guitar, and then also started introducing saxophone. Because it was another of the type of music that was influencing him at the time. So it was really a collective.

And with Picasso, it really was the fact that his paintings were drastically different to anything that existed at the time, So we were able to use different instrumentation with the French accordions, classical Spanish guitar, and then also started introducing saxophone, because it was another of the type of music that was influencing him at the time.

MaxTheTrax: So this is used in your way as in last season, obviously, Einstein played the violin as well. So that’s why you used a lot of strings. So the strings you were using here were more reflective of French music, but also in terms of guitar because of his Spanish roots?
Lorne Balfe: I think the way we used the violin in the last season was never to be simply a musical character. When we used it as underscore it was always abstract or manipulated electronically. And I think that we tried to do the same with this season and not necessarily just make it those performers. There’s always, throughout the story telling, quite a bit of electronic manipulation happening with it. So that it’s not just the plain instrument, because that’s not what we feel would have really been inside Picasso’s head.

MaxTheTrax: How closely is producer Ron Howard involved in this season?
Lorne Balfe: He was very hands on as a producer and Ken, the show runner, are all very supportive to the project.

MaxTheTrax: You collaborated last season with Hans Zimmer for the theme of Genius which became Emmy nominated.
Lorne Balfe: Hans and I, again, wanted to create a new fresh approach to the main title. So due to the new character lead, we wanted those titles to have an influence of Picasso’s background. So we both reworked the main scene.

MaxTheTrax: Speaking of collaborating, how did you become involved in The Crown?
Lorne Balfe: Because of Hans Zimmer.

MaxTheTrax: How do the two of you share composing duties on The Crown?
Lorne Balfe: Oh. There’s no splitting. All three of us are from a background of working and collaborating with other composers. Rupert [Gregson-Williams] had written for Hans Zimmer and Richard Harvey. And Hans worked for Stanley Myers. And I have worked for Rupert and Hans. So we all know each other very well. There’s no one lead voice, really. Our rooms are all next door to each other, so the collaboration is very easy and very fluid. Quite honestly, if you look at the development over many of the scenes, it really is myself working on it for a period of time. And then Rupert taking over and trying to connect it. And I think that’s why it’s always been fun working that way. Because when you’re working on a project by yourself it does get a bit lonely sometimes. Because you’ve got your deadlines and you’re just simply writing away. So you grab at a chance to work with people that also, are not only friends, but they write amazing music.Rupert is one of the best composers out there, so to be able to write with him is an honor.

There’s always, throughout the story telling, quite a bit of electronic manipulation happening with it. So that it’s not just the plain instrument, because that’s not what we feel would have really been inside Picasso’s head.

MaxTheTrax: So you all have your imprint on every episode?
Lorne Balfe: Absolutely. Our DNA is everywhere. And I think it’s even to the point when you’re working on pieces of music, let’s say in season one, when it was something like the duck shoot. Variations of it may have been changed or replaced, but there was discoveries from that that then got used elsewhere. But it’s a very collaborative and experimental process.

MaxTheTrax: And so is it credited then with you, Rupert, and Hans?
Lorne Balfe: For the last season, yes.

MaxTheTrax: Yes, the season that’s Emmy eligible right now.
Lorne Balfe: Yes. This season is … It’s music by Rupert and Lorne.