Cue of the Week: “Catherine’s Theme”

George Adams’ documentary Touché: A Blind Fencer’s Story tells the extraordinary story of Catherine Bolton, a woman who after losing most of her vision in adulthood became a champion blindfolded fencer.

As touched upon here previously, music for a documentary has to walk a line between romanticism and respect for its subject matter. That said, I felt that it made sense to compose a leitmotif for Catherine, who recurs throughout the film. Instead taking the traditional approach of varying the theme over time, I changed its instrumentation to reflect the mood of the moment. This solo piano version takes on a reflective but optimistic tone.