The famous Succession theme was composed by Nicholas Britell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s an original instrumental piece written specifically for the HBO series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And its unusual sound comes from combining two musical worlds that don’t normally belong together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Classical piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hip-hop production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britell wanted music that reflected the Roy family’s enormous wealth, political influence and complete emotional dysfunction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result sounds simultaneously:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
elegant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
expensive<\/p>\n\n\n\n
threatening<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and slightly ridiculous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which makes it almost perfect for Succession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An American composer known for film and television scores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His work includes music for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moonlight<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Beale Street Could Talk<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Big Short<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t Look Up<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and Succession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britell is particularly interested in combining classical composition with modern musical influences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has also worked extensively with hip-hop artists and producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That background became important when creating Succession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The show needed music that sounded wealthy and traditional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it also needed to feel contemporary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the Roy family belongs to both worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Logan Roy represents traditional power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Old relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Media empires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His children represent a more modern culture involving celebrity, technology and status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britell wanted the soundtrack to contain that contrast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The classical piano suggests old wealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The oversized drums suggest modern confidence and swagger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the music doesn’t sound completely comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That discomfort reflects the characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has classical influences, including elements that listeners have compared with Beethoven’s piano writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it isn’t simply a remix of a Beethoven composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britell created an original theme using musical vocabulary associated with European classical music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The harmonies and dramatic piano figures help establish the sense of wealth and institutional power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hip-hop rhythm then disrupts that atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The combination makes the recording recognisable within seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the harmony creates tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The theme doesn’t behave like a cheerful classical piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It contains dissonance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unexpected changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musical ideas that seem elegant but slightly unstable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is appropriate for Succession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The family presents itself as powerful and sophisticated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Underneath, almost everybody is emotionally chaotic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The music sounds beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But something isn’t quite right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kendall Roy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britell watched footage involving Kendall listening to hip-hop while travelling towards the family business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That helped him recognise the importance of modern musical culture within the show’s world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He began experimenting with large hip-hop beats beneath classical arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result became the defining sound of Succession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s a fascinating example of a composer responding directly to a character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The music doesn’t simply accompany the drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It expresses something about the people inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The main title remains recognisable throughout the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Britell develops the musical material across the wider score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Melodies return in altered forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harmonies change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Different instrumental arrangements reflect the emotional circumstances of particular scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That gives the soundtrack a sense of musical continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The theme isn’t simply a piece played before each episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It becomes part of the show’s larger musical language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The instrumentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Strings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Orchestral arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Detailed production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sound suggests traditional wealth and prestige.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Britell deliberately avoids making everything completely polished or comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is tension inside the elegance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s central to the show’s identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roy family possess almost everything money can provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
None of them appears particularly happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Partly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it isn’t a conventional hip-hop recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are no lead rap vocals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The composition uses hip-hop production ideas within a classical framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That makes it closer to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cinematic classical crossover<\/p>\n\n\n\n
orchestral hip-hop<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and television score music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trying to place it inside one genre is difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is one reason the recording feels so distinctive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the images show wealth as something inherited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Large houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Private spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Children surrounded by privilege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The visual world suggests a family whose power has existed for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the music begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The classical elements reinforce the inherited wealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The electronic rhythm introduces a more contemporary personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The combination tells the audience what kind of family they are about to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His music for Succession received major recognition, including an Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The soundtrack became one of the most celebrated elements of the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is particularly impressive because television themes can easily become background music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Succession’s theme developed its own audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People listen to it independently of the programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Repetition and contrast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The central musical figure is immediately recognisable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britell returns to it throughout the piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The melody is strong enough to work without lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The production then surrounds it with unusual textures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That makes it satisfying both as a short television introduction and as a standalone instrumental recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Look for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nicholas Britell \u2013 Succession (Main Title Theme).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The official soundtrack albums also contain variations on the show’s musical material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listening to the complete score reveals how many different ways Britell develops the main ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some arrangements sound grand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others are intimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some are almost comical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That flexibility is part of the soundtrack’s brilliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nicholas Britell \u2013 Agape<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Max Richter \u2013 On the Nature of Daylight<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ludwig G\u00f6ransson \u2013 Can You Hear the Music<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hans Zimmer \u2013 Time<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramin Djawadi \u2013 Westworld Main Title<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael Nyman \u2013 The Heart Asks Pleasure First<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jon Brion \u2013 Theme from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These recordings explore different combinations of classical music and cinematic atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because it captures the show’s central contradiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enormous money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Very little emotional stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roy family are wealthy enough to surround themselves with traditional luxury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But their behaviour is frequently absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britell’s theme communicates both qualities simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It sounds like the soundtrack to an empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An empire that might collapse because its heirs cannot stop arguing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An original composition by Nicholas Britell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It combines classical piano, orchestral writing and hip-hop-inspired production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result became one of television’s most distinctive opening themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And arguably the only piece of music capable of making a dysfunctional media dynasty sound this elegant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The famous Succession theme was composed by Nicholas Britell. It’s an original instrumental piece written specifically for the HBO series. And its unusual sound comes from combining two musical worlds that don’t normally belong together. Classical piano. Hip-hop production. Britell wanted music that reflected the Roy family’s enormous wealth, political influence and complete emotional dysfunction. The result sounds simultaneously: elegant expensive threatening and slightly ridiculous. Which makes it almost perfect for Succession. Who is Nicholas Britell? An American composer known for film and television scores. His work includes music for: Moonlight If Beale Street Could Talk The Big Short Don’t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5143,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2148,43,3165],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-5142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-explained","tag-music","tag-nicholas-britell"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n