“After a tiring day at the Burbank Studios working on Altered States I was out for an evening of relaxation with a much loved and familiar masterpiece the memory of which was blown into oblivion by the music of a name totally unfamiliar to me - John Corigliano.
At least, he was until a chance musical excursion provided him with the answer in a most dramatic fashion. Well known for his passionate and rather particular taste in music, Russell was struggling to find a clear musical direction for his latest film. Supported and coupled with Russell’s intense, signature visual style, Altered States proved to be a wild cinematic trip indeed. After extreme experimentation with an ancient Mexican psychotropic potion, Jessup begins to experience physical, biological devolution. A renowned psychopathologist, Jessup becomes obsessed with sensory deprivation tanks and perceived states of consciousness. Based on the novel and screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky, the film follows the wild psychological adventures of Eddie Jessup (William Hurt).
Though predominantly known as a contemporary classical composer, Corigliano made quite a splash in the film world when he dove in head first with Ken Russell’s sci-fi horror thriller, Altered States. While composers like Tchaikovsky, Aaron Copland, Ethel Smyth, and Leonard Bernstein typically dominate the queer composing conversation every time Pride Month rolls around, there are also many talented queer composers who have spent time working in the film music sphere (and deserve to be celebrated year-round). Regardless of whether they were publicly out in their time or not, the impact and long-lasting effects of queer musical contributions are incontrovertible. For as long as musicians have been putting notes on paper, queer people have been composing.
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