Pop Culturalist Chats with Tony-Nominated Orchestrator Daniel Kluger

If you’ve seen (or heard) about the latest Broadway revival of Oklahoma! you know that even the music has been reimagined. The new orchestrations are performed by a small band on stage, and the music has a bluegrass- and country-western-flavor that’s intoxicating and fresh. We have Daniel Kluger to thank for the new sound. And audiences and critics aren’t the only folks who enjoy his work: he’s nominated for a 2019 Tony Award.

We caught up with the Tony-Nominated Orchestrator Daniel Kluger to learn a bit more about Oklahoma!

When did you know that you wanted to make a career out of music?
Singing the Durufle Requiem in a choir. The Kyrie movement is insanely haunting and spine chilling.

What drew you to the theater overall?
My parents nurtured it from the beginning of childhood. I was an orphan in the chorus of a community Oliver! production, and haven’t stopped.

Oklahoma! is a classic musical. Did you feel any pressure in approaching and reworking a piece that is beloved by audiences?
It was an absolutely terrifying idea at the beginning, but the songs are so well built that they really inspire and can withstand experimentation.

How did you develop the new sound for this show? Was it a collaborative process?
I always approach music for theater collaboratively; it’s the only way to do it. The director Daniel Fish and I spoke from the beginning about the goal that the songs function dramatically as they always have, and all of our choices had to come from investigating the story and world more deeply. Our instrumentation is a seven-piece band: bass, cello, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, accordion. I feel like these instruments are both more contemporary than the 1943 sound, and also bring out something evocative of the territory.

Do you have a favorite song from Oklahoma!?
“Out of My Dreams,” hands down. The melody and harmonies are intoxicating.

Since this show immerses the actors and musicians with the audience, have you had a favorite audience reaction to the sound for the revival?
I love it when the audience knows a song particularly well and can watch each other sing along, I think it enhances the way the piece holds a mirror up to our relationship to the songs.

What is next on the horizon for you?
I am fortunate to work in a variety of media. I’m scoring a film this summer and am very excited to be creating a score and soundscape for Richard Jones at the Park Avenue Armory called Judgment Day.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

Last TV Show You Binge-Watched
Fleabag

Favorite Play and/or Musical
A Little Night Music

Favorite Film
Only Lovers Left Alive

Favorite Book
Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism?

Hidden Talent
Making perfect coffee

Place You’d Most Like to Go
Northern Italy

Person You Most Want to Meet
Frank Ocean

 

Stay up-to-date with Daniel Kluger by following him on Facebook and Instagram.
For more information on Oklahoma! click here.

 

Photo Credit: Ed Salsbury