The composer behind the music for The Last of Us, Babel, and Brokeback Mountain will close this year's Oslo World festival.
At some point, most of us have heard the music of the Argentinian multi-instrumentalist and composer Gustavo Santaolalla. He won two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Original Score for Brokeback Mountain (2006) and Babel (2007) and his compositions appear on the soundtrack for the seminal video game The Last of Us, as well as the TV series based on the game.
The lush, tingling sound of the ronroco, a modern version of the lute instrument charango, hailing from the Andes region, has become his calling card. On this small instrument, Santaolalla, who is a veteran of the Argentine psychedelic rock scene, is able to mix his musical colors of choice: traditional Argentinean music, inspiration from Japan, Africa, and eastern Europe. You might hear totally different things, perhaps traces of post-war minimalist composers or pastoral prog rock – you wouldn’t be wrong. In 1998, he released his classic breakthrough album Ronroco on Nonesuch, demonstrating the broad appeal of his music to a global audience.It set off a remarkable career arc. In 2024, the album was released on vinyl for the very first time.
On Santaolallas Ronroco tour, concert audiences are able to hear this music live in concert for the very first time, backed by a new band consisting of five multi-instrumentalists. In addition to material from the album, Santaolalla will perform highlights from his work in cinema and video games. An exciting new chapter in the Argentinian master’s career – and a fitting celebration of a quarter-century of remarkable instrumental music.
