As our State of Streaming 2022 event continues, IGN’s David Griffin sat down with Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon composer Ramin Djawadi to discuss the legacy of the franchise and what it was like jumping into the world again with brand new characters.
When the series started anew and fans heard the opening theme in full, there was a lot of chatter over House of the Dragon’s music being the same as that of Game of Thrones. Whether you’re glad for the familiarity or bummed there wasn’t a new intro to get fans hyped for the upcoming episode, there was a method to Djawadi’s madness.
For our full convo with Djawadi, check out the video below or at the top of the page:
“I think that’s a good example of tying back the old material with the new,” he says of the theme. “As a franchise to just connect all of these stories together. In the original main title, we always looked at and thought of it as an overarching theme that connects all of the characters and the journey and the adventures of this universe. So we felt it would be appropriate to connect it with this main title theme again.”
Just because the original intro music remains the same doesn’t mean that Djawadi isn’t producing new and enticing new music for the franchise. When it comes to the character themes, each is unique outside of their connection to the overarching theme.
Melodically I’m starting from scratch, but sonically I’m drawing back from the original score
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“Melodically I’m starting completely from scratch, but sonically I’m drawing back from the original score,” explains Djawadi. “There are certain sounds that I will use that I would have used with the Targaryen's in the past.”
Fans can expect the series’ score to continue to subvert expectations, too. Viewers will be kept on their toes throughout the series with themes that will keep you guessing throughout.
“The music has always played a big role in Game of Thrones,” says Djawadi. “The music can guide the audience, and it can mislead the audience. So the original Game of Thrones we played very close attention to how we did the narration with music. We’re definitely planning on doing the same thing here.”
Follow along with the rest of our State of Streaming coverage as the event unfolds!
Amelia is the entertainment Streaming Editor here at IGN. She's also a film and television critic who spends too much time talking about dinosaurs, superheroes, and folk horror. You can usually find her with her dog, Rogers. There may be cheeseburgers involved. Follow her across social @ThatWitchMia.
