www.kronosrecords.com - THE MAID'S ROOM by ARTURO RODRIGUEZ

THE MAIDS ROOM is a richly dark and intense physiological thriller which is set in the affluent area of the east end of Long Island, where the movie was actually filmed. It centres on an attractive Latina immigrant who is as intelligent as she is beautiful. Drina takes a job as a live in maid at the home of the Crawfords who are a well heeled New York family that have a summer home in the Hamptons. Drina’s duties as live-in maid include taking care of Brandon and his pampered friends. One day she notices that Brandon’s car has damage to it and also has traces of blood on the bodywork. After seeing the local newspaper where a fatal hit and run collision is reported Drina begins to realize that it is Brandon who is responsible.

The musical score, which is as dark and also taught as the storyline itself, is the work of composer Arturo Rodríguez. Born in Monterrey, México, Rodríguez’s musical studies began at the Music Department of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Texas Christian University and Butler University. He is a Sundance Music Lab Composer Fellow (2010) and has been a selected participant for the ASCAP Film Scoring Worskhop in Hollywood, CA (2003), the ASPEN Film Scoring Workshop (2001) and the 11th New York University Composers Seminar (2003). Some of his academic and professional influences include pianists José Feghali and Panayis Lyras; conductors Germán Gutiérrez and Stanley DeRusha; and composers Blas Emilio Atehortúa, Richard Bellis and John Williams. He has collaborated as orchestrator with composers Osvaldo Golijov and Stewart Copeland and has acted as orchestrator, pianist and also conductor for numerous film and media projects, which include ASSASSINS CREED IV BLACK FLAG-FREEDOM CRY, ELEMENTAL, ZIPPER and Francis Ford Coppola’s TWIXT.

THE MAIDS ROOM is an accomplished and polished work which works so well with the images on screen but also has the ability to stand alone as just music to be listened to savoured and enjoyed. Rodriguez is almost lulling the listener into a false sense of security and well being with his richly emotive theme for Drina with its delicate piano solo and plaintive woodwind that are punctuated by harp, the music radiates an even greater warmth as the string section are ushered into the piece but still retains a fragility that is mesmerising. This central theme is heard throughout the score either fleetingly or in more sustained arrangements and becomes not just the theme that accompanies the films central character but also the foundation of the score. The composer weaves his simple but effective motif for Drina into the fabric of the score and it acts like a musical adhesive that binds the remainder of the soundtrack together. This is the first soundtrack penned by Arturo Rodriguez to be released by Kronos Records, his talent is immense and his gift for melody is outstanding. Watch out for this truly talented Mexican composer.

(Excerpts from JOHN MANSELL's liner notes for the CD)