Co-composers Rachel Portman and Jon Ehrlich collaborated on scoring Hulu’s “We Were the Lucky Ones,” despite only meeting once in person. They worked across continents, with Portman starting the day’s work and Ehrlich finishing it, passing the baton back and forth. The series is based on Georgia Hunter’s novel about her family’s survival during the Holocaust in Poland, starring Joey King and Logan Lerman among others.

Portman and Ehrlich aimed to instill hope and anticipation in the series, using instruments like the piano and cello in the main theme. The piano represents Addy, a piano player and composer in the series, while the cello adds a rich depth to the music. Ehrlich incorporated “non-live elements” to represent human cruelty, creating a compelling and moving score that reflected the themes of longing, loss, and hope throughout the story.

The main theme of the series captures the anticipation and emotions of the characters, including Addy’s separation from his family in Poland and his yearning for news of their well-being. Portman wanted the music to encompass the whole story, with the main theme building anticipation and emotion. She described the process of writing music for characters and themes as something that naturally evolves for her, with the main theme representing everyone in the story.

Portman and Ehrlich worked with around 50 musicians in a live orchestra in Berlin, adding additional layers and overdubs in production. They felt a sense of responsibility to do justice to the important and compelling story being told in the series, pouring their hearts into the project. The score gives the story a contemporary feel, allowing viewers to experience the events from the characters’ perspectives in a timely and immediate manner.

The first three episodes of the series premiered on Hulu, with new episodes to be released weekly on Thursdays. Both Portman and Ehrlich felt that working on this project was a way to contribute to a story that truly mattered, capturing the emotions and themes of survival and hope during a historical period of great significance. The collaborative process between the two composers, despite being based across continents, allowed them to create a score that enhanced the narrative and emotionally resonated with the audience.

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