Anyone who can plot the emotional trajectory in music of a character as nuanced as Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough has the insight required to write for Vesper Lynd. Sometimes we all need a creative nudge in the right direction but I sense he’s being self-deprecating here, as he always is.
If the recent show was anything like that one, we’ll be in for an absolute treat. Back in October 2019, I just about made it to the Royal Albert Hall on a Friday night after work - travelling over two hours by taxi/train/tube - for Settling The Score, a special one off concert featuring Arnold and his friend Michael Giacchino (another favourite composer of mine). Fortunately, Arnold revealed that there were audio and visual recordings made, so they will hopefully see the light of day at some point. At work on the day of the performance and unable to get to London in time, I was gutted to have missed it. Inexplicably, no broadcaster was interested in it, which is a travesty. In the spirit of trying to talk about something other than Bond, I asked him about his latest project, an epic concert at the Royal Albert Hall to mark the iconic venue’s 150th anniversary. In a recent webinar interview conducted as part of the National Film and Television School’s Backstories series, Arnold talked about his work, past, present and future.
