Greek musician and musicologist Rosa Fragorapti (left), a virtuoso of the ancient Greek lyre, records with Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Goransson for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’
A young woman wearing oversized studio headphones cradles a musical instrument more commonly seen in the painted scenes on ancient Greek vases. Her fingers dance across the strings with remarkable speed and grace. From behind the soundboard in the control room, a youthful man with long blond hair lets out a drawn-out “Nice,” before adding, “You nailed it.” The young woman breaks into a broad smile.
Speaking to Rosa Fragorapti on the phone, I find myself picturing that smile again – the one captured in the short video clip that has been circulating on YouTube in recent days. The Greek musician and musicologist has every reason to be delighted: Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” bears her imprint, too – or rather, that of both her and her ancient Greek lyre.
“Last winter I received an email asking whether I was available for a film recording session in London,” Fragorapti tells me. “They didn’t reveal the title of the film or any details about the production. Only when I arrived did I discover it was for Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ I was completely stunned.”
“Normally, before I take on a new project, I ask to see the score because of the nature of the instrument. I need to know the music in advance to determine whether it’s actually playable – the possibilities are very different from those of a piano or a violin. Needless to say, they didn’t send me anything.”
Instead, she learned everything directly from three-time Academy Award-winner Ludwig Goransson, Nolan’s longtime collaborator and the composer of the film’s score.
“Goransson is an extraordinarily talented artist, and he was genuinely excited about the project. On the first day, all he wanted was to learn everything about the instrument. We sat together – he with his guitar, me with my lyre – and simply played, in the way children play together. What followed over the next few days was the greatest musical experience of my life.
“We worked in an incredible open-plan studio with outstanding facilities, and collaborating with Goransson was a joy. Beyond everything else, he has an exceptional gift for musical storytelling. The standards were incredibly high. We recorded countless takes, approaching the same material in different ways and using different techniques. In the end, I think they kept everything so they would have as much material to work with as possible.”
The lyre, however, is not the only ancient Greek instrument heard in “The Odyssey.” British musician Callum Armstrong, a virtuoso of the ancient double-pipe known as the aulos, also recorded alongside Fragorapti.
“Callum and I have been working together for several years,” Fragorapti says. “We also collaborated on another major production – ‘Diablo IV.’ Musicians who play instruments like the lyre and the aulos usually follow separate paths. We were the first to deliberately bring the two instruments together, which is particularly fascinating because they were so often performed together in antiquity.”
The second surprise came at the film’s official premiere in London, when she and her collaborator realized that the entire soundtrack was built around the sound of the lyre and the aulos, with no conventional orchestra – only percussion where necessary and the human voice.
“We’d been told, rather vaguely, that they needed the lyre and the aulos, so we assumed they’d only be used in a handful of scenes. As we recorded – and occasionally watched scenes being mixed right in front of us – we noticed we weren’t hearing any other instruments. We began to suspect the score would rely on them far more heavily, but we didn’t know for certain until the premiere.”
In the official behind-the-scenes video, Nolan explains that he wanted “The Odyssey” to sound unlike any previous film set in the ancient world.
“I don’t have the words to describe what I heard and saw. It was incredibly moving,” Fragorapti says. “I never imagined this instrument would reach a stage like this. And they didn’t alter its sound at all – there was no distortion whatsoever. Normally, when you record for contemporary productions, the instrument’s voice is subtly reshaped at the mixing desk. Here, it sounded exactly as it does when I record it at home and send it to a friend.”
What, then, makes the ancient Greek lyre so distinctive – and how did it win her over?
“To begin with, it’s an instrument we’re still getting to know. I think we’re only at the beginning. Even during ‘The Odyssey’ sessions, we discovered new possibilities, especially in terms of the range of tonal colors the lyre can produce. Because it has seven open strings, achieving the expressive nuances demanded by a score is far more challenging than it is on an instrument like the piano.
“Then there’s the question of historical reconstruction. The instrument has to be recreated faithfully, based on sound historical evidence. That requires a master instrument maker with real dedication – someone like Nikolaos Brass, whom I consider the world’s foremost expert on reconstructing the ancient Greek lyre – working closely with a musicologist and the musician who will ultimately play the instrument. The same is true of the aulos.
“I first encountered ancient Greek music while studying in Italy, where I immersed myself in its theoretical foundations. Later, after returning to Thessaloniki, I began exploring its practical side – which, of course, is the most rewarding part.”
The aulos and the lyre were the instruments that accompanied the recitation of the Homeric epics in the era when they were first composed. Building the score of a modern Hollywood blockbuster around them is, without question, a bold artistic gamble.
“When I mentioned that to Goransson,” Fragorapti recalls, “he replied, ‘If you don’t take risks, you can’t make a difference’.”
As for Fragorapti herself, she has no doubts: “I thought the film was extraordinary. I’ll definitely be watching it again.”
