The Key to Making Music for ‘Hedda’: Getting the Cast and Crew to Breathe and Sing Together

Icelandic composer and cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir is part of a wave of European composers who have entered the world of film music from backgrounds in modern classical, experimental and concert music. They include Volker Bertelmann, Jerskin Fendrix, Daniel Blumberg, Max Richter and Kangding Ray — all of whom, like Guðnadóttir, landed on this year’s Oscars shortlist for Best Original Score.

But if Guðnadóttir is in some ways part of a thriving community that has put a bold spin on film music...