30 Days of Bangel - Aug. 4 - Day 4: What music from the shows do you love the most for Bangel?
I really tried to be “different” but ultimately my heart told me I had to go with their score - the Buffy/Angel theme “Close Your Eyes” by Christophe Beck.
I’m going to talk way too much about this song so I apologize in advance because it’s probably super boring but I’m a music nerd so… oh well. First off, Christophe Beck is a phenomenal composer. I think his scores are undeniably the best stuff we have on the show. Obviously, the Academy agrees with me as he won an Emmy for his composition for Becoming I (and was nominated for OMWF).
But the composition of Close Your Eyes brings with it such beautiful artistic interpretation. It’s in the key of A Major which is a great key signature for string music (and the strings are really allowed to shine in this song - if only we had a real live orchestra that would play this!)
The piece starts off right out the gate with violins growing in a small crescendo that sets up a type of suspense. There is some dissonance here (that resolves quickly) but it mirrors the “Who are you?” stage of B/A in Season 1, the mystery surrounding the beginning of their relationship.
We quickly move into a beautiful, sweet, melodic clarinet solo. The violins and the piano accompaniment add depth to this first chapter but the tone is still rather high and light that invokes feelings of innocence, a young naivete that reflects Buffy and Angel’s relationship in early season 2. They are both in love for the first time and it really does feel almost whimsical.
The piece slowly shifts into a lower registry and the dynamics of the piece call for a louder orchestra, the feeling is that of full speed ahead. This would be Buffy and Angel moving forward with their relationship, deciding to sleep together.
And then, of course, the tone of the song changes. The horns become dissonant with the strings and there is an ominous tone. Of course, this is Angel losing his soul. Their love has led them to dire circumstances.
In the next part of the piece, the strings drop off. You get the piano portion of the piece alone. The feeling is that of isolation, the piano is exposed. There is an uncomfortable vulnerability that perfectly mirrors Buffy’s feelings of guilt and shame following the events of Surprise. This piano-focused isolation with soft strings in the background (almost like Angel is still on her mind) continues a few measures while Buffy finds a way to cope with her grief and her inner turmoil.
And then our strings drop off and we a return to our melody - piano only, a higher register but the melody is the same. The score says “play freely” and so there is an air of unpredictability in the rhythm and the melody, some confusion. That would be Angel, re-ensouled. He’s back but he’s a little confused. Buffy is too. And we all know this part of the song because we all cried through this part of the piece when Angel and Buffy finally reconnect in Becoming. It’s just them two and in the piece, it’s just the piano, no strings accompanying them.
But then, oh my friends, and then…we get this beautiful epic full orchestra entrance with all of the strings and horns coming in and the percussion section shocking you back into reality because it isn’t just Buffy and Angel, it’s the world. The entire world is at stake. And the music continues to swell and Buffy makes her ultimate sacrifice to kill Angel. And the epic-ness of her decision, her loss is all reflected in the full orchestra accompanying her.
And that’s one of my favorite parts but really, the best part about this song is the end. Because you get a new dissonant melodic sequence at the end. It’s a very different from the melody that came before. It feels like the song is moving into a new movement altogether. And the piece ends on an F# minor and it never resolves back into its major key. Because the story doesn’t end there! There is more music to write!
And in my mind, that’s because this symphony just keeps on playing.
So uh thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
😀
