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"The Duchess" Soundtrack Recording in Prague

At this time the music for “The Duchess” is being recorded at the Smecky Recording Studio. The seventy-member orchestra playing in the studio, which is a part of Barrandov Studios a.s., is conducted by David Snell. This biographical film about Duchess Georgiana, who lived during the eighteenth century, is set to premiere this autumn. The music for the film was composed by Rachel Portman – the only woman to ever receive an Oscar for best soundtrack (“Emma”, 1996). She also recorded the music to “Oliver Twist” at Smecky.

“The actual recording of the music will take three eight-hour days and will use six recording frequencies for up to seventy members of the orchestra playing,” according to Janka Vozarová, Barrandov Studios General Director. The historical film is directed by Saul Dibb and stars Keira Knightley, Charlotte Rampling, Ralph Fiennes, and Hayley Atwell in the lead roles.

Saul Dibb shot this film according to the very successful biography written by historian Amanda Foreman about one of the most controversial figures of eighteenth century England – Duchess Georgiana of Devonshire (Keira Knightley). Considering the times she lived in, Georgiana Cavendish of the Spencer family (one of Princess Diana’s distant relatives) was a recognizably modern woman. One of the most influential hostesses of her era, she was embroiled in politics, gambling and affairs of the heart. Her life was marked by intrigue, extravagance and promiscuity. This romantic film documents her amorous interludes, political enthusiasm and troubled marriage with the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes).

Over the past several years, Smecky has been the site of origin for the soundtracks for a number of pictures including “Lost Highway” (David Lynch, director), “The Ninth Gate” (Roman Polanski), “The Portrait of a Lady” (Jane Campion), “Kolja” (Jan Svěrák), and “Todo sobre mi madre” (Pedro Almodóvar).

The Smecky Recording Studio is located in the center of Prague, only a few steps away from Wenceslas Square. Its history dates back to the 1940s. In 1947, the Film Symphony Orchestra was established and, for several decades, was responsible for the music recordings for Barrandov Film Studios, Kratky Film Productions, as well as Czechoslovak Television. In 1990, the Smecky Recording Studio converted over to a “Hollywood model” and offers comprehensive recording services, primarily coordinating conductors, sound experts, musicians, and music scorers.

The studio has sufficient capacity to accommodate an entire symphonic orchestra, including chorus. Its acoustic quality and the technical expertise of the entire team are highly valued. The most modern technology (HD ProTools, 7.3.1.) is used for recordings. The studio is suitable for recording all music genres for film and video, including Dolby Stereo recording.