Composers Find a Tempo for True Crime With ‘Murdaugh Murders,’ ‘Madoff,’ ‘Crime Scene’ Scores

variety.com:

Tim Greiving Every composer who scores a true crime series is dealing with ghosts. Their challenge is to help make a show riveting, dramatic — even entertaining — while trying not to exploit a real tragedy with real victims. “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” called for sensitivity from composers Danielle Furst and Khari Mateen.

For Danielle Furst and Khari Mateen, the composers behind “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,” an added challenge was writing music knowing that the families and friends of victims would likely be watching. “Every time we were working on it, I was thinking about the parents,” says Furst, “listening to what was behind their testimonies and their story and wanting them to feel good about it.” At the heart of “Murdaugh” is the death of Mallory Beach, a teenager whose death in a boating accident instigates a series of other calamities and murders. “It was a big responsibility,” Furst says.

Then there are all the usual scoring considerations of tempo, orchestration and mood. Furst found a hurdy-gurdy, an old hand-cranked string instrument, and used it to create drones throughout.

The textbook techniques of scoring a thriller — relentless pulse and accelerating tension — were fair play, while other scenes called for a string elegy.