Bulgarian-bornPenka Kouneva, a Sundance Composer Fellow, has scored numerous independentfilms (In Confidence) and television shows (“Forensic Files”), as well as videogames (Hades). She has also branched out into recording freestanding albums echoingher ideas for motion pictures. Kouneva’s latest CD, The Woman Astronaut for theVarese Saraband label, spins synthesizers together with orchestrations andminor-key Eastern melodies with grand symphonic flourishes in Western fashion.The Woman Astronaut tells a story and can be listened to as the soundtrack foran imaginary science-fiction film. The success of Kouneva and similar composersfor motion pictures is a reminder of the continuing hold on the imagination of orchestralmusic that sonically suggests people, places and situations.
