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Javier Navarrete
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Javier Navarrete is a Spanish composer, chiefly of film music. He was born in 1956 in Teruel and moved to Barcelona at nineteen. In 2012 he moved to Los Angeles. He wrote music for Spanish films such as Tras el cristal and Dot the I.
Music and breakthrough
He became known internationally through his work with the director Guillermo del Toro. He composed the music for El espinazo del diablo from 2001 and for El laberinto del fauno from 2006, which is called Pan's Labyrinth in English. For the latter film he received an Academy Award nomination in 2007, alongside a Grammy nomination for the soundtrack and an Ariel Award. Mirrors, Inkheart, Cracks, Byzantium and Wrath of the Titans followed, among others. For the HBO film Hemingway & Gellhorn he won an Emmy in 2012. In 2015 he also wrote the music for the Hong Kong film Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal.
Influence
Navarrete writes orchestral music in which melody and atmosphere carry the images. His themes for Pan's Labyrinth suit the dark fairy-tale world of the film. The track Long, Long Time Ago from 2006 comes from that score. It shows that a film composer can evoke an entire story with one simple, recognisable theme. His work is an example of modern European film music and of the Spanish contribution to international cinema.
Listening
Long, Long Time Ago · Javier Navarrete, 2006
Discography
Studio albums
- 1996Susanna (soundtrack)
- 2000El mar (soundtrack)
- 2001El espinazo del diablo (soundtrack)
- 2001El espinazo del diablo (soundtrack)
- 2001Stranded (Naufragos) (soundtrack)
- 2002Trece Campanadas (soundtrack)
- 2006Pan’s Labyrinth (soundtrack)
- 2007Sa Majesté Minor (soundtrack)
- 2008Fireflies in the Garden (soundtrack)
- 2008Mirrors (soundtrack)
- 2009Cracks (soundtrack)
- 2012Hemingway & Gellhorn (soundtrack)
- 2012Wrath of the Titans (soundtrack)
- 2013Byzantium (soundtrack)
- 2013The Hole (soundtrack)
- 2015Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal (soundtrack)
- 2019Greta (soundtrack)
- 2021Antlers (soundtrack)
- 2022Mr. Harrigan’s Phone: Soundtrack from the Netflix Film (soundtrack)
- 2024Sound of Freedom: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- The Dream Factory: Film Reel 6NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- New Latin American cinema Genre
For El laberinto del fauno (2006), Javier Navarrete by contrast wrote a fairy-tale orchestral score built around a lullaby.