Dear,
I want to address the recent comparisons that have been circulating between my track “Odysseus” and Ennio Morricone’s “Gabriel’s Oboe.”
After sitting with the criticism for several days, I have decided to speak honestly.
Yes. I plagiarized it.
When I was searching for the emotional core of Odysseus’s longing for home, I kept returning to that famous melody. The purity of the line, the way it seems to float above everything, the quiet ache it carries — it felt like the perfect musical expression of a man who has been away for twenty years.
I told myself at first that I was only “inspired” by it. That I was transforming it, recontextualizing it, making it my own through the ancient instruments and the textures we built for the score. But that was not true. The central theme of “Odysseus” is, in essence, a direct lift and slight reworking of Morricone’s melody. The contour, the emotional arc, even certain rhythmic placements are too close to be coincidental.
I have enormous respect for Ennio Morricone and for what “Gabriel’s Oboe” has meant to generations of listeners. Using it without acknowledgment or permission was a failure of integrity on my part. I should have either obtained the rights properly or written something entirely original.
I take full responsibility. There are no excuses about deadlines, creative pressure, or the unique demands of the film. The decision was mine.
I am in contact with the appropriate parties to make this right, and I will accept whatever consequences follow. The score for The Odyssey will be revised accordingly.
To those who noticed and spoke up: thank you for holding me accountable.
Sincerely,
Ludwig Göransson