Composer and Music Director Rich Mandal shines a light on his global inspiration and creative process for Medea’s original score. Medea arrives at the ADC Theatre from 5-9th May with a live band, in the Larkum Studio and onstage.
Medea has been a dream passion project for me. Writing a full background score, present almost throughout the play, was both challenging and incredibly rewarding. There is a wealth of material for a composer within the original Greek play itself, further enriched by this modern retelling. I wanted to bring out the Greek and Eastern influences within the play through the themes and instruments employed in the music, while complementing its contemporary narrative of defiance with elements of progressive and punk rock. As a result, you may notice a transition from folk-like textures to a more progressive soundscape as the play unfolds.
The sound world is shaped by a wide range of sonic textures, created through both ethnic instruments and designed synth patches. Two keyboard players alternate between percussion samples, ethnic instrument sounds such as the Indian Sitar, Middle Eastern Qanun, and ancient Greek harps, as well as atmospheric synth layers. The ensemble also features a number of distinctive acoustic instruments. The percussionist, alongside the drum kit, plays the African Djembe and Turkish Doumbek in various scenes—both instruments I have played for some time and am particularly attached to. I also play the Khamak myself, a very interesting talking drum from Bengal, which I encountered and learnt during my ethnomusicological fieldwork last year. Here, it complements a more gossip-driven reimagining of the Women of Corinth. The trumpet player doubles on flugelhorn, offering a softer, mellower tone for underscoring dialogue, and also plays a conch shell, a sound associated with ritual practices across South Asia and the Pacific.
The score is built around several key themes centred on Medea, Jason, and the Women of Corinth, often drawing on ancient and non-Western modal scales. These themes evolve and transform as the characters navigate the dramatic arc of the play. A central feature throughout is rhythm: Greek folk traditions frequently employ asymmetrical groupings of 3s, 2s, 5s, and 7s—patterns of ‘long’ and ‘short’ durations that differ from the more familiar 4/4 or 3/4 metres of Western music. Interestingly, similar rhythmic complexity appears in progressive rock, with particular inspiration drawn from pieces such as Pneuma (Tool) and The Dance of Eternity (Dreamtheater). This shared rhythmic language allows the fusion of styles to feel both natural and cohesive.
This project has truly been a labour of love, and I am deeply grateful to the talented musicians in the band bringing it to life. I hope you enjoy the play and the music as much as I have enjoyed composing and directing the music.
Medea
by Euripides, adapted by Dhyan Ruparel
Tue 05 - Sat 09 May, 7.45PM
Thu 07 & Sat 09 May, 1.30/2.30PM
ADC Theatre
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