Jon Ouin tells Humphrey Astley how he kept his head writing an Elizabethan score

The Tudors are big news right now. It seems you barely turn on the telly without being confronted by a riot of ruffs and codpieces.

Fans of blockbuster Wolf Hall may want to mark in their diaries that the Oxford Theatre Guild is bringing its production of Friedrich Schiller’s historical play Mary Stuart to the Oxford Playhouse next week.

And people who admire Oxford indie-folk heroes Stornoway may be interested to know that the band’s Jon Ouin will be providing the music for the 16th century saga.

The play, an imaginative take on the rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, has been given a 21st century revival by director Hedda Bird, who commissioned Jon to write the music after he sent her some tentative ideas.

“This is the first time I’ve been involved in music for theatre,” says Jon, “although scoring for a play was something I’d always wanted to try.

“Once I was invited to be part of the production, I sat in a cafe one day, read through the play in detail and made loads of notes in the margin, like a nerdy student. I wanted to get my teeth into it, as it were.

“For me, the play was definitely a grower, in that it’s not so much about the outward plot involving Mary’s beheading, but more about the concepts of freedom, power, and the sublime.”

Stornoway are known for defying the dimensions of a guitar band and using unconventional instrumentation, live and in the studio.

Jon’s repertoire alone sounds like the credits of a Fleetwood Mac album and his Mary Stuart score is no exception.

“I’ve used some courtly instruments, like the harpsichord and spinet, as well as the odd bit of period instrumentation subtly within the mix, such as lute, psaltery and bass viol da gamba.”

But the play is by no means an exercise in re-creation. He says: “There was a general feeling in the production team that it shouldn’t be a period piece and could be almost atemporal. The music had to align itself with the stage design, set, costumes and so on, which all make references to the Tudor period but are certainly not tied to it.”

Indeed, Jon has drawn on some disparate and unexpected influences, including contemporary composers John Tavener and Nico Muhly.

As for the play’s content, it could be said that our fascination with Elizabeth and Mary endures because we relate to them as individuals who, in spite of their regal trappings, were subject to the conditions of a world they did not make.

And Jon has been careful to highlight these individualities.

“One of the first intentions I had for the play was to give the two main protagonists very distinct musical voices,” he explains.

“So any music portraying Elizabeth has been arranged for outwardly sophisticated, courtly, stringed instruments, whereas Mary is rendered via the human voice, as a way of hinting at something a bit more earthy and soulful.”

But what about the process of writing the score? Has Jon missed the collaborative aspect of playing in a band? Not entirely.

“Producing the music for Mary Stuart has been different in that I’ve written and pieced the music together on my own,” he admits. “But the actual process has been far from solo. It’s probably been just as collaborative as Stornoway, in that I’ve been recording with some fantastic musicians – vocalists Laura Ashby and Alex Clissold Jones, and violinist Will May – who have helped me bring the thing to life.”

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The drummer’s role in a band is to keep the beat, the bassist’s role is to hold the root note, and so on. How, then, would Jon sum up the composer’s role in a play?

“At this rehearsal stage, probably the main role of the composer is to slightly distract everyone from remembering their lines,” he jokes.

“It’s certainly peripheral until the final stretch, where all the other aspects of the production come together.”

Ironically, the dynamics of the composer’s interactions with the cast and crew sound almost like a good old-fashioned jam session.

“Besides the director’s creative steering, it’s the energy and inventiveness of the actors that drives the thing in rehearsal and it’s been a real privilege to watch them get inside their roles and develop certain scenes.

To an extent, I’m feeding off what they’re doing.”

So how did he find the experience — and what is he planning next? “I’m discovering new things all the time, watching the incredible actors bring it to life.

I’ll continue writing bits and pieces for TV, short films or theatre, when opportunities arise, as I love doing this sort of thing.

“But my focus is on the new Stornoway album, Bonxie, out on April 13, and UK tour. We’ve been working on our live versions of the new tracks, which has been a joy.”

Mary Stuart, featuring music by Jon Ouin
Oxford Playhouse
Tuesday, March 10, to Saturday, March 14
Tickets: oxfordplayhouse.com