Interview: Dario Marianelli

Dario Marianelli is among the most successful screen composers working in Britain today, with an Oscar, Golden Globe and now another Novello Award under his belt.

His prizewinning run of scores for films from 2005 to 2007, including The Brothers Grimm, Pride & Prejudice and Atonement signalled the composer had reached his prime.

And since then, there’s been no let up, with standout moments including the scores to Anna Karenina and Laika animations The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings, the latter of which earned him another Ivor last month.

Outside of the film world, Dario has earned his stripes composing vocal music for the BBC Singers, plus pieces for London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and the Britten-Pears Orchestra among others.

We recently picked his brains to learn how he put together his award-winning piece for Kubo and the Two Strings and to glean his top tips for young screen composers in the making…