‘The White Lotus’ Composer Cristobal Tapia De Veer Discusses “Savage” Motifs Of His Iconic Title Theme – Sound & Screen TV

deadline.com:

The title theme from The White Lotus has become iconic, but composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer said he took a very experimental approach to crafting the music for the HBO series.Season 1 is set in Hawaii, and the theme music definitely sets the tone.

But de Veer explained that he wasn’t trying to imitate the music of Hawaii or “mimic anything.” Instead, he was focused on creating a sequence that would connect to the story’s underlying motifs. “I was trying to find a place where I feel like a savage at some point.

And then to me, this translated with the characters because, to me, the [characters] are, in a way, savages,” he said. “It’s a relationship between tourists, and the way they use people, the way they don’t seem to connect with nature.

Wherever they go, they seemed to abuse it.” Luckily, White loved it. When it came time for Season 2, de Veer nearly didn’t have the chance to rework his memorable title music for Sicily due to scheduling conflicts.