SUCCESSION: SEASON 2 – HBO ORIGINAL SERIES SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE MAY 22

SUCCESSION: SEASON 2 – HBO ORIGINAL SERIES SOUNDTRACK
AVAILABLE MAY 22 ON WATERTOWER MUSIC

FEATURES NEW MUSIC FROM AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER NICHOLAS BRITELL

HEAR IT NOW: INCLUDES THE SONG “L TO THE OG”
AS PERFORMED ON THE SHOW BY JEREMY STRONG

(May 20, 2020 – BURBANK, CA) WaterTower Music today announced the May 22 release of the soundtrack to season 2 of the HBO original series Succession, which features the music of Emmy winning (Outstanding Original Main Title Theme, Succession) and Academy Award nominated composer Nicholas Britell (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk), which includes the official studio recording of “L to the OG” – the track performed in the show by the character of Kendall Roy (played by Jeremy Strong).

Click to listen to “L to the OG” and follow the Official Succession Playlist.

Created by Jesse Armstrong (In The Loop), the second season of HBO’s Succession (Golden Globe, PGA and DGA winner for Best Drama Series), begins where season one dramatically left off. The season follows the Roy family as they struggle to retain control of their empire, and while the future looks increasingly uncertain, it is the past that threatens to ultimately destroy them.

Comprehensive discussions about season 2 with Succession creator Jesse Armstrong inspired composer Nicholas Britell to explore an even darker and more brooding musical tone. A tonal shift, apparent in the saga of troubled former heir apparent Kendall Roy, informed the composer’s creative approach. “Kendall’s journey starts in a very melancholic fashion – and that was my initial inspiration,” explained the composer. “I wanted it to be like the second movement of a symphony; still connected to the first, but with a decidedly different tone, tempo and development. “I composed a new theme for this – “Rondo in F Minor for Piano and Orchestra – Kendall’s Journey,” which takes many forms through the second season and inhabits a sort of contemplative — yet suitably minor-key – tone. I really wanted to make sure that the music evolved along with the Roy family’s own developments.”

New themes and musical evolutions are indeed prominent in Britell’s season 2 Succession score. From the “Moderato Con Brio” and “Contredanse – Shiv’s Move” to the “Intermezzo in C Minor – Money Wins” and the climactic “Concerto Grosso in C Minor – You Have to Be a Killer” which concludes the season finale. These and many additional key musical moments from season 2 are included on the soundtrack, including “Kendall’s Departure – This Is Not For Tears,” the Cello Quintet from Tern Haven, and of course the music from the scene “Boar On The Floor”.

“L to the OG,” the final track on the album, performed by the character of Kendall Roy, has also been released as a single, along with an instrumental version of the track. “Kendall’s performance of this had to be something which was both incredibly cringeworthy and also really well-executed: a very difficult combination,” elaborated Nicholas Britell. “To me, Jeremy Strong’s rendition truly captured Kendall’s serious efforts in creating the rap, while also perfectly balancing Succession’s tone of dark absurdity.

“It was a true joy to compose the music for Succession season 2. From the very beginning of my collaboration with creator/showrunner Jesse Armstrong, he has been incredibly supportive and open to exploring the ways in which music could live within the show.”

WaterTower Music head, Jason Linn commented, “After years of admiring Nicholas’s brilliant work from afar, we’re honored to finally be collaborating on Succession. The character he has created with his remarkable and indelible score is the perfect complement to HBO’s culture defining series.”
The HBO Original Series Soundtrack to Succession: Season 2, with music from Nicholas Britell, will be available digitally on May 22. The track list is as follows:

1. Succession (Main Title Theme) – Extended Intro Version
2. Rondo in F Minor for Piano and Orchestra – “Kendall’s Journey”
3. Moderato Con Brio for Violin, Harp, and Orchestra
4. Intermezzo in C Minor – “Money Wins”
5. Rondo in F Minor for Solo Piano – “Kendall’s Summit”
6. Atmosphere in B Minor
7. Contredanse – “Shiv’s Move”
8. Cello Quintet in C Minor – “Tern Haven”
9. Andante Con Moto – Piano and Strings – “Vaulter”
10. Rondo in F Minor for String Orchestra
11. Concerto Grosso in C Minor – Ripieno Strings
12. Andante Con Moto – String Orchestra Variation
13. Roman’s Beat – “Hearts”
14. Andante in C Minor – Main Theme Strings Variation
15. Maestoso – Piano Solo
16. Larghetto – Piano, Celesta, Strings – “Kendall’s Return”
17. Intermezzo in C Minor – Piano and Double Bass
18. Moderato Con Brio – Violin Sextet
19. Boar On The Floor
20. Kendall’s Departure – “This Is Not For Tears”
21. Maestoso – String Orchestra – “To The Press Conference”
22. Concerto Grosso in C Minor + End Credits – “You Have To Be A Killer”
23. L to the OG (feat. Kendall Roy)

ABOUT NICHOLAS BRITELL
Academy Award-nominated composer and pianist Nicholas Britell is known for his critically-acclaimed scores, including those for Barry Jenkins’ 2018 If Beale Street Could Talk and Jenkins’ 2017 Academy Award Best Picture winner Moonlight. Britell received Academy Award nominations for both those films as well as BAFTA and Critics Choice nominations for If Beale Street Could Talk. He received Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations as well as the 2016 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score (Dramatic Feature) for Moonlight. The year prior, he wrote the score for Adam McKay’s The Big Short, which marked the start of his collaboration with the Academy Award winning writer-director-producer. In 2018, he wrote the score for McKay’s Vice, starring Christian Bale and Amy Adams. For television, Britell scores HBO’s Succession, for which he won the 2019 EMMY for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music and the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score. Britell’s most recent film work is the score for Netflix’s The King, starring Timothée Chalamet. In 2019, Britell was honored by the World Soundtrack Award as the Film Composer of the Year for his scores for If Beale Street Could Talk and Vice.

Britell is a Steinway Artist and is also a Creative Associate of the Juilliard School. In December 2018, it was announced that Britell will be part of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s newly formed creative collective “brain trust” as Salonen takes the reins as music director of the San Francisco Symphony. His recent public performances have included concerts at London’s Barbican Hall, the Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles, Chicago’s Ravinia, and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.

Britell’s upcoming projects include Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad series for Amazon and Succession Season 3 for HBO.

ABOUT WATERTOWER MUSIC
WaterTower Music, the in-house label for the WarnerMedia companies, releases recorded music as rich and diverse as the companies themselves. It has been the soundtrack home to many of the world’s most iconic films, television shows and games since 2001.

ABOUT HBO
HBO® is one of the most respected and innovative entertainment brands in the world, serving iconic, award-winning programming to 140 million subscribers globally. A subsidiary of WarnerMedia, HBO is the world’s most successful pay TV service with an extensive array of programming that includes some of the most notable titles to be on television, including drama series Succession®, Watchmen®, Westworld®, Big Little Lies®, Game of Thrones®, The Sopranos®, Band of Brothers® and The Wire®, as well as comedy series Barry®, Insecure® and Sex and the City®. In the United States, HBO® and sister network Cinemax® are available across multiple platforms including HBO On Demand®, Cinemax On Demand®, HBO GO® and MAX GO®, as well as HBO NOW®. Internationally, HBO branded services, including television networks and the standalone streaming product HBO GO®, are available in more than 70 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. HBO and Cinemax programming is also sold into more than 150 countries worldwide.

Press Inquiries:
For Nicholas Britell
paulawoodspr@gmail.com

WaterTower Music Inquiries
Joe Kara
watertowermusic@warnerbros.com

HBO Inquiries
Emily Weichert
Emily.weichert@hbo.com