Melissa Parmenter’s Passion for Music and Sound Is Going Nowhere

Melissa Parmenter is a pianist, composer and BAFTA-nominated film producer. She released her critically acclaimed mini-album Messapica in 2020, receiving support from the likes of Classic FM, Scala Radio, The Line of Best Fit, and Edith Bowman's ‘Soundtracking’ podcast. A beautifully crafted fusion of piano and cello, it was inspired by the church bells and olive trees of Puglia, the region of Italy she calls home.

Working alongside director Michael Winterbottom she produced many important films such as ‘The Road to Guantanamo’; ‘Greed’; ‘The Trip’ series with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon; ‘This England’, starring Kenneth Branagh; and ‘Shoshana’ which recently premiered at the BFI London Film Festival.

Her passion for music and film often comes together through her scoring work, composing music for films such as ‘Genova’, starring Colin Firth and Catherine Keener, and ‘The Killer Inside Me’, starring Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson.

A brilliant and experienced pianist, her performances mix her intoxicating classical works alongside her vivacious sense of humour.

LBB> When you’re working on a new brief or project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down and how do you like to generate your ideas or response?

Melissa> Most of my music starts with improvisation. Because my music is primarily piano-based I improvise new themes on the piano and record them as I go.

Then, using these fragments I construct the piece working alongside the computer and the live piano. I use Logic and I have recently discovered some fantastic new software instruments.

Software instrument libraries are so brilliant nowadays they have taken on an important role in the development of composition, and their sounds can inspire the direction of the musical work.

LBB> Music and sound are in some ways the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity - what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer to work solo or with a gang – and what are some of your most memorable professional collaborations?

Melissa> Composing is often a very solitary experience. For me, because I combine my work as a film producer which is a very social, people-focused job, I find writing music a wonderful release and I am so grateful to get to sit alone and write music.

When working on a film score in particular, I love collaborating with other composers. Everyone comes with their own strengths and creative ideas which is really exciting to explore. When working as part of a team one also gets the chance to combine the best of everyone’s creativity.

I have composed film scores both alone (on the film ‘Genova’) and also with Joel Cadbury (‘The Killer Inside Me’, ‘Comes a Bright Day’) – Joel was fantastic to work with – we found that our musical styles really complimented each other and it’s great to have someone else to bounce ideas around with.

LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?

Melissa> I love going into Air Edel to mix my music with Nick Taylor and to record on the incredible Steinway grand piano that is in the studio.

Nick and I have collaborated on most of my music including my album ‘Messapica’ and my most recent EP ‘North Sea’. Nick brings such warmth and magic to the recordings and I love adding to the mix some of my recorded sounds that I have gathered over the years – like the Camogli church bells on the track ‘Mezzogiorno’ which I recorded when I was in Italy shooting a film.

I also love to perform my music live with Harry Escott on the cello. Most recently we played together at our gig at the Colchester Arts Centre last October.

LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?

Melissa> My experience is more in film and TV however I imagine that with the arrival of AI there will be a real challenge ahead for the industry in terms of where music will be sourced and how new music will be commissioned, and how we protect composers’ work.

LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?

Melissa> Rather unsurprisingly, both Philip Glass and Michael Nyman are my musical heroes. The breathtaking scores for ‘Mishima’ (Philip Glass) and ‘The Piano’ (Michael Nyman) left a huge impression on me as a child, growing up learning the piano. It was so exciting to discover the power of music and film and the magic that is made when they work together. Tori Amos was also a great influence for me, her composition on the piano and her songs are so powerful and inspiring and watching her play piano live is mind blowing!

LBB> And when it comes to your particular field, whether sound design or composing, are there any particular ideas or pioneers that you go back to frequently or who really influence your thinking about the work you do?

Melissa> I love minimalism – both in music and in all areas in life! So that is why I love music by Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Yann Tiersen, Max Richter, Arvo Pärt – their atmospheric minimalist style lends itself perfectly for film. Michael Nyman has a voice unlike any other and his music has so much energy and urgency about it but also with such beautiful melodies. Michael’s score to ‘Wonderland’ will always stay with me.

LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music (lets say going through client briefs or answering emails) – are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?

Melissa> I am very lucky to have my studio in the countryside where I can just open the door and hear the most incredible symphony of bird song in the garden – no need for a speaker and Spotify.

When working alone, I don’t really put background music on as I like to stay fully focused on the task at hand. I also like to give my ears a rest and save them for my piano practice and composition.

LBB> The quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years. There’s the switch from analogue to digital and now we seem to be divided between bad-ass surround-sound immersive experiences and on-the-go, low quality sound (often the audio is competing with a million other distractions) - how does that factor into how you approach your work?

Melissa> I agree that our listening experience has changed so much over the years. As with so many areas in life, there is so much choice – and at the end of the day, I just love to listen to the music that moved me when I was growing up – on vinyl or recently we bought a CD player and I have loved listening again to all my CDs.

In terms of my work, I think because I am very piano-focused and I have my grand piano in my studio I am very connected to just the beautiful acoustic sound of the piano and that hasn’t really changed for me despite all the various listening experiences available now.

LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?

Melissa> I have never thought about a ‘listening diet’! I definitely listen to too many Radio 4 current affairs programs which I think is inevitable given what’s going on in the world. I would like to listen to more music as I did when I was growing up – but because of the nature of my work and a busy family home I often don’t get the chance. I play music when I am in the bath. I love BBC Night Tracks and I like listening to Radio 3 to discover new classical pieces I haven’t heard before. Also, given I work in film and film music has always been my passion, I like to dip into the odd film score – old and new.

LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take (are you a vinyl nerd, do you have hard drives full of random bird sounds, are you a hyper-organised spotify-er…)?

Melissa> I have a hard drive of sounds that I recorded over the years. For about 15 years whilst I was producing on films shooting all around the world (Italy, Pakistan, India, Iran, France, Greece) I often took with me my mini recorder so I could record some sound memories – like trains, tunnels, the sea, beaches, night sounds, alley ways, birds, bells, conversations… I love to incorporate them into my music if I can.

LBB> Outside of the music and sound world, what sort of art or topics really excite you and do you ever relate that back to music (e.g. history buffs who love music that can help you travel through time, gamers who love interactive sound design… I mean it really could be anything!!)

Melissa> I love swimming and the sea. I watched the documentary ‘The Deepest Breath’ about the incredible Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini. One of my favourite films growing up was ‘The Big Blue’ (such a fantastic soundtrack by Eric Serra). I have been studying underwater sounds and hunting out recordings – all with a view to complete my water inspired new piano album hopefully this year!

LBB> Let’s talk travel! It’s often cited as one of the most creatively inspiring things you can do - I’d love to know what are the most exciting or inspiring experiences you’ve had when it comes to sound and music on your travels?

Melissa> I have travelled a lot while producing our Michael Winterbottom films – we shot in India, Pakistan, Iran, France, US, Italy, Greece and I loved it, particularly travelling for work where you get to properly interact with the local teams and experience their culture and the sounds of the cities. I love the church bells in Italy, the sounds of the cicadas, the sea, the call to prayer blasting out the mosques in Morocco, the chaotic city sounds of Shanghai and Mumbai.

LBB> As we age, our ears change physically and our tastes evolve too, and life changes mean we don’t get to engage in our passions in the same intensity as in our youth - how has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?

Melissa> My feelings haven’t changed since I was young and I still feel that same passion for music and sound. Perhaps with age, the intensity of those feelings may fade a little but the sound memories don’t. I don’t listen to as much music as I would like to as I don’t get the time sadly, but it is always there for me.