Transforming The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Price of Curiosity emerged from composer Richard Baker’s interest in exploring the potential of a range of personally meaningful sonic material to make music, and to pass from one artistic medium to another. In this case, he used rigorous research processes to transform sound from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)—including song, foley effects, and excerpts of dialogue between its stars James Stewart and Doris Day—to create rich creative materials. Although the piece was completed in 2019, the Covid-delayed premiere took place on May 27, 2022, providing a timely illustration of one of the many kinds of compositional research being carried out in the School.