Alex Belcher (‘Citadel’ composer): ‘It really truly is, in my whole career, some of the music that I’m most proud of’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

Rob Licuria
·4 min read
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“The score had to match the scope of the project. It’s a giant show. It’s a giant story,” explains composer Alex Belcher about composing the ambitious score for the global espionage thriller “Citadel.” For our recent webchat he adds, “it’s an international story that takes place all over the world in so many genres as well. We’ve got thriller aspects, comedy aspects, tons of action, tons of espionage. So, it’s a big undertaking and going into that opening section, it was like, OK how do we convey to the audience right out of the gate? This is a big show, and it’s going take you on a big wild ride,” he says, admitting, “I probably spent more time on that opening three to five minutes than I have on anything else I’ve ever written.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

SEE Watch the epic trailer for ‘Citadel,’ the world’s second-most expensive show

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“Citadel” stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Richard Madden, Oscar nominee Lesley Manville and Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Stanley Tucci, co-produced by Amazon Studios and Anthony and Joe Russo (“Avengers: Endgame”) and their AGBO production company. The blockbuster Amazon Prime Video global spy thriller follows an independent global spy agency tasked with keeping the world safe and secure, that was destroyed in spectacular fashion eight years earlier by Manticore, a powerful syndicate manipulating the world from the shadows. After Citadel’s fall, elite agents Mason Kane (Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Jones) had their memories wiped as they narrowly escaped with their lives. They’ve remained hidden ever since, building new lives under new identities, unaware of their pasts. That changes one night when Mason is tracked down by his former Citadel colleague Bernard Orlick (Tucci), who desperately needs his help to prevent Manticore from establishing a new world order. Mason seeks out his former partner Nadia, and the two spies embark on a mission that takes them around the world in an effort to stop Manticore.

The series opens on a luxurious bullet train careening through the Italian Alps. After a few minutes, the premiere takes an unexpected turn as all hell breaks loose in one of the most genuinely breathtaking action sequences seen on television this season. “The opening sequence, it really was, I think, what I was the most nervous about,” Belcher says about opening the show with a delicate, jazzy James Bond-inspired waltz and then pivoting to a propulsive and muscular action set piece that matches the high octane energy that explodes (literally) on screen. “The main idea, with the first three and a half minutes, was a bit of mystery, and without giving too much of this away. But that’s what we needed to do. We needed to set the tone of the show and then yank the rug out from under the audience, because something happens that changes everything,” he explains. “We needed a misdirect. The music has to be saying something else to where and when the big surprise does happen, we’re completely taken off guard and we’re not expecting it. So, that was really what the role with music was in that opening sequence. I could talk for days about the process of doing that. It really truly is, in my whole career, some of the music that I’m most proud of.”

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