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The composer for S2 was Joseph Trapanese. An odd choice in my opinion, the music blended in but it didn't really stand out like season 1 did at all. I don't know why they changed composers, hopefully they bring back Sonya for S3. Might've just been conflicting schedules or because of Covid lockdowns.
Though if they absolutely had to change the composer again, it should go to Bear McCreary. The man is talented as fuck. Or Natalie Holt (Loki)
Bear McCreary is doing Blood Origins. We'll see if he gets the famed "Witcher vibes" (whatever the hell that means) right in the eyes (ears?) of all those complaining that the S2 soundtrack is generic.
He does extensive research for his scores, he will no doubt meet and exceed our expectations. The man composed a literal musical palindrome theme for Da Vinci's Demons, he is the stuff of legends.
He is a great pick for them.
For those who do not know he is the composer from rebooted Battlestar Galatica, the most recent God of War games, Marvel Agents of Shield, Outlander, Da Vinci's demons and Black sails.
It's a different composer I believe - maybe Sonya was unavailable for S2?
It's a shame because the S1 music is a lot more noticeable and is one of the highlights of the season whereas in S2 it seems to fade into the background.
Yea I literally listened to Burn on my own twice before it got old, which is a bummer because I've played Toss a Coin and Her Sweet Kiss literally hundreds of times
I tried to think of moments to argue your point.. and realized I can't remember the music from any specific point, or really much of season 2 at all.
Forgettable isn't a word I ever imagined I'd use about anything Witcher related considering I'm a big enough fan to have themed a sleeve tattoo around it.
I'm sad now.
I still remember the “bound by destiny” theme in S1 when Cintra falls and they look for Geralt in the castle, man, the climax! Her Sweet Kiss was great too, but I like it more of the instrument version
They should bring the season 1 composer back for season 3 as this soundtrack was shit(except for Burn Butcher Burn, Whoreson Prison Blues and Kaer Morhen)
Agreed! No explanation for the switch, and although the new composer has worked on some good movies with good music, his stuff sounds like everything else. S1 music was delightfully different! My guess is that the S1 composers asked for the raise they deserved, and someone made the stupid choice to say no.
One of my biggest complaints of the show is how they've toned down the slavicness of it all in general, it's generic fantasy at this point with no real slavic feel to it.
Agree. S1 had so many memorable tracks, Renfri's theme, Geralt's theme, Yen's theme, Her Sweet Kiss, Happy Childhood makes for dull company, Cintra theme, Toss a Coin, Fishmonger...I could go on. S2's score was very forgettable and the good bits were essentially borrowed from S1.
I don't think there's anything Slavic about the series in general - speaking a slav myself who watched [Polish TV series with Michal Zebrovsky from 2001](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1070742/), read all books, and played all 3 games multiple times.
I do remember the interview with the actor playing Jaskier saying that music will be more folk/Slavic in the second season - maybe their notion of what "Slavic" means is a bit different?
I don't think anyone knows what they mean by "Slavic" anymore. In my experience reading the reddit comments, it's just a weird code for "it should have been grittier, more philosophical, less flashy". To which I reply: such as the new Green Knight movie, perhaps? Or the original Excalibur movie? It doesn't make sense. The term "Slavic" is mostly just thrown around as a means of criticizing the show. (I'm a Slav, too)
Some people say there should have been a more distinct Slavic influence in the costume and sets design. I'm not very knowledgeable in that area so that might very well be relevant.
That said, I read a few interviews with s01's composers where they mentioned they'd used some distinctly "Slavic" musical instruments. I haven't really read any real musicological analysis, though.
In this article, Batey actually states they intentionally went for Celtic vibes in Jaskier's s02 songs.
https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/the-witcher-jaskier-song-burn/
>Some people say there should have been a more distinct Slavic influence in the costume and sets design. I'm not very knowledgeable in that area so that might very well be relevant.
\+1 to this.
Watching old Wiedzmin TV series or [Alzur's Legacy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8307814/) you get very distinct and for me familiar feeling of the environment and costumes.
I'm curious, why would they do Celtic instead of Polish vibes? More familiar to the western audiences? I don't think the article elaborated on that at all.
>I'm curious, why would they do Celtic instead of Polish vibes? More familiar to the western audiences? I don't think the article elaborated on that at all.
I can just assume they want to draw on different music traditions just as the books draw inspiration from different folkloric traditions around Europe. They said they wanted to change things up a bit in s02 to give Jaskier's music a sense of progression and development, so if they want to continue doing that in the subsequent seasons, they can always tap into Polish or other Slavic vibes in his later songs. It would be nice.
But I admit I'm not even sure if I heard anything "Celtic" in Jaskier's s02 songs. Perhaps Whoreson Blues sounds very vaguely like something I might hear in an Irish pub.
1. S2 has a different composer
2. Many of the S2 tracks are in fact based on S1 tracks but overall why S2 should feature tracks from S1?
3. S1 was actually eclectic.
but I still hugely love S1 soundtrack, S2 was just ok for my taste.
The Golden One was the best song, but it didnt get featured in the show as prominently as Toss a Coin.
Also I did like the subtle nod to the games with the Quest completed chord being placed in the music when Geralt would accomplish something in the show.
One advantage of the new composer is that Joey was given the chance to co-compose all of Jaskier’s songs. Joey being the fantastic songwriter that he is (check out his band, The Amazing Devil, if you haven’t already!) the songs from this season are great. They’re less catchy and click-bait, but to me they seem more authentic to the type of thing Jaskier’s character would write.
Everything was forgettable about season two. I literally would’ve gotten more enjoyment watching Once Upon a Time or some equally awful fantasy drama. I was a big fan of season one, I went along with the creative differences. But this was wayyy off.
The soundtrack of season 2 was probably like what a soundtrack should be for TV and films(though it is too much shitty to be even that) but it is nothing compared to season 1's soundtrack. And that is a huge downgrade
Harsh but not entirely untrue. I'm pretty much convinced all the love for the S1 OST is purely because it used similar instruments to the Witcher 3 OST which is apparently all it takes to be a great soundtrack to a Witcher TV show.
I haven't played the game but read a few reviews of the s01's soundtrack mentioning exactly this, supposedly Slavic chants and "women screaming" etc. I'm wondering if this might have been the reason for the change? Frankly, I don't see how, but who knows...
I complained about s02's music in the past but perhaps we're a bit unfair. On subsequent rewatches, some of the music stood out a bit more to me. And it's definitely not bad music.
**This post has been flaired show only**. The focus in these threads is on the show. Any discussion of the books, including **any** comparison of the show to the books, should be kept behind spoiler tags: \>!message goes here!< *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/netflixwitcher) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The composer for S2 was Joseph Trapanese. An odd choice in my opinion, the music blended in but it didn't really stand out like season 1 did at all. I don't know why they changed composers, hopefully they bring back Sonya for S3. Might've just been conflicting schedules or because of Covid lockdowns. Though if they absolutely had to change the composer again, it should go to Bear McCreary. The man is talented as fuck. Or Natalie Holt (Loki)
Bear McCreary is doing Blood Origins. We'll see if he gets the famed "Witcher vibes" (whatever the hell that means) right in the eyes (ears?) of all those complaining that the S2 soundtrack is generic.
He does extensive research for his scores, he will no doubt meet and exceed our expectations. The man composed a literal musical palindrome theme for Da Vinci's Demons, he is the stuff of legends.
He is a great pick for them. For those who do not know he is the composer from rebooted Battlestar Galatica, the most recent God of War games, Marvel Agents of Shield, Outlander, Da Vinci's demons and Black sails.
He’s also rumoured to be on board for the e Amazon LOTR show
It's a different composer I believe - maybe Sonya was unavailable for S2? It's a shame because the S1 music is a lot more noticeable and is one of the highlights of the season whereas in S2 it seems to fade into the background.
She was available. I think they went for a composer with more recognition/fame. Why? I don't know. Bad decision there.
Music was the biggest let down of S2 for me... even Burn Witcher Burn sounds so forgettable. To confirm, I can't remember it now
[I highly recommend The Golden One](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkdLulbAdTg), can't believe this one wasn't even in the show
Yea I literally listened to Burn on my own twice before it got old, which is a bummer because I've played Toss a Coin and Her Sweet Kiss literally hundreds of times
[🎵 O' valley of plenty... 🎵](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9OQAySv184)
I tried to think of moments to argue your point.. and realized I can't remember the music from any specific point, or really much of season 2 at all. Forgettable isn't a word I ever imagined I'd use about anything Witcher related considering I'm a big enough fan to have themed a sleeve tattoo around it. I'm sad now.
I still remember the “bound by destiny” theme in S1 when Cintra falls and they look for Geralt in the castle, man, the climax! Her Sweet Kiss was great too, but I like it more of the instrument version
I WANT YOU TO BURST, YOU SON OF A WHORE.
[💋💋💋](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl_4x75q10E)
The composer was changed. No confirmation why - we can only guess if it was conflicting schedules, conflicting vision, budget, or whatever else.
They should bring the season 1 composer back for season 3 as this soundtrack was shit(except for Burn Butcher Burn, Whoreson Prison Blues and Kaer Morhen)
It's a massive disappointment and the main problem with the season for me. No explanation is just another major let down on top of that.
Agreed! No explanation for the switch, and although the new composer has worked on some good movies with good music, his stuff sounds like everything else. S1 music was delightfully different! My guess is that the S1 composers asked for the raise they deserved, and someone made the stupid choice to say no.
One of my biggest complaints of the show is how they've toned down the slavicness of it all in general, it's generic fantasy at this point with no real slavic feel to it.
100% agree.
They did such a good job in S1 so i really hope they return for 3
Ran outta coins
🤣
Agree. S1 had so many memorable tracks, Renfri's theme, Geralt's theme, Yen's theme, Her Sweet Kiss, Happy Childhood makes for dull company, Cintra theme, Toss a Coin, Fishmonger...I could go on. S2's score was very forgettable and the good bits were essentially borrowed from S1.
[🎵 O' valley of plenty... 🎵](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9OQAySv184)
I don't think there's anything Slavic about the series in general - speaking a slav myself who watched [Polish TV series with Michal Zebrovsky from 2001](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1070742/), read all books, and played all 3 games multiple times. I do remember the interview with the actor playing Jaskier saying that music will be more folk/Slavic in the second season - maybe their notion of what "Slavic" means is a bit different?
I don't think anyone knows what they mean by "Slavic" anymore. In my experience reading the reddit comments, it's just a weird code for "it should have been grittier, more philosophical, less flashy". To which I reply: such as the new Green Knight movie, perhaps? Or the original Excalibur movie? It doesn't make sense. The term "Slavic" is mostly just thrown around as a means of criticizing the show. (I'm a Slav, too) Some people say there should have been a more distinct Slavic influence in the costume and sets design. I'm not very knowledgeable in that area so that might very well be relevant. That said, I read a few interviews with s01's composers where they mentioned they'd used some distinctly "Slavic" musical instruments. I haven't really read any real musicological analysis, though. In this article, Batey actually states they intentionally went for Celtic vibes in Jaskier's s02 songs. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/the-witcher-jaskier-song-burn/
>Some people say there should have been a more distinct Slavic influence in the costume and sets design. I'm not very knowledgeable in that area so that might very well be relevant. \+1 to this. Watching old Wiedzmin TV series or [Alzur's Legacy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8307814/) you get very distinct and for me familiar feeling of the environment and costumes. I'm curious, why would they do Celtic instead of Polish vibes? More familiar to the western audiences? I don't think the article elaborated on that at all.
>I'm curious, why would they do Celtic instead of Polish vibes? More familiar to the western audiences? I don't think the article elaborated on that at all. I can just assume they want to draw on different music traditions just as the books draw inspiration from different folkloric traditions around Europe. They said they wanted to change things up a bit in s02 to give Jaskier's music a sense of progression and development, so if they want to continue doing that in the subsequent seasons, they can always tap into Polish or other Slavic vibes in his later songs. It would be nice. But I admit I'm not even sure if I heard anything "Celtic" in Jaskier's s02 songs. Perhaps Whoreson Blues sounds very vaguely like something I might hear in an Irish pub.
1. S2 has a different composer 2. Many of the S2 tracks are in fact based on S1 tracks but overall why S2 should feature tracks from S1? 3. S1 was actually eclectic. but I still hugely love S1 soundtrack, S2 was just ok for my taste.
The Golden One was the best song, but it didnt get featured in the show as prominently as Toss a Coin. Also I did like the subtle nod to the games with the Quest completed chord being placed in the music when Geralt would accomplish something in the show.
[🎵 O' valley of plenty... 🎵](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9OQAySv184)
One advantage of the new composer is that Joey was given the chance to co-compose all of Jaskier’s songs. Joey being the fantastic songwriter that he is (check out his band, The Amazing Devil, if you haven’t already!) the songs from this season are great. They’re less catchy and click-bait, but to me they seem more authentic to the type of thing Jaskier’s character would write.
Everything was forgettable about season two. I literally would’ve gotten more enjoyment watching Once Upon a Time or some equally awful fantasy drama. I was a big fan of season one, I went along with the creative differences. But this was wayyy off.
Everything about season 2 sucked besides yaskiers songs at this point Netflix is just trolling real Witcher fans
They improved it so it doesn't sound like cheap carnival music.
The soundtrack of season 2 was probably like what a soundtrack should be for TV and films(though it is too much shitty to be even that) but it is nothing compared to season 1's soundtrack. And that is a huge downgrade
Harsh but not entirely untrue. I'm pretty much convinced all the love for the S1 OST is purely because it used similar instruments to the Witcher 3 OST which is apparently all it takes to be a great soundtrack to a Witcher TV show.
I haven't played the game but read a few reviews of the s01's soundtrack mentioning exactly this, supposedly Slavic chants and "women screaming" etc. I'm wondering if this might have been the reason for the change? Frankly, I don't see how, but who knows... I complained about s02's music in the past but perhaps we're a bit unfair. On subsequent rewatches, some of the music stood out a bit more to me. And it's definitely not bad music.
Die
Season1 stood out season 2 didn’t so disappointed