The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix: Who wrote the music and can you buy or stream the soundtrack?
Our guide to the music of the new Netflix series The Queen's Gambit, based on the novel of the same name by the late American author Walter Tevi
Recently landed on Netflix, The Queen’s Gambit is a limited series (seven episodes) taking in the coming-of-age story of a young chess prodigy. Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split) stars as the fictional Beth Harmon, who is orphaned at the age of nine and discovers an aptitude for chess. The game becomes a means of escape from life, but it soon becomes clear it’s the pressures of the game itself from which she needs to escape.
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The music for the series is written by American composer Carlos Rafael Rivera, who won Emmy for his music for the hit Netflix series Godless (written and directed by Gambit’s Scott Frank). Rivera, also a talented guitarist, studied composition at USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles and counts the legendary Randy Newman as a mentor.
His other screen credit so far is the feature film A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014).
Away from composing for the screen, Rivera has worked as a session musician and served as composer in residence with the Miami Symphony Orchestra. He also teaches at Miami University’s Frost School of Music.
Can you buy the soundtrack for Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit?
The soundtrack album is not currently available to purchase on CD, though it can be downloaded from iTunes and Amazon.
Can you stream the soundtrack for Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit?
Yes, Rivera’s music for the series is available to stream on Spotify (see below) and also on Apple Music and Amazon Music.
When is The Queen’s Gambit released on Netflix?
The series was released on 23 October and is available to watch now on Netflix.
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Which book is Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit based on?
The series is based on the novel of the same name by the late American author Walter Tevis; it was published in 1983. Tevis died the following year. Although there has been interest in adapting the novel over the years, the Netflix series is the first to make it to the screen. You can buy the book on Amazon.
