Possible Plagiarism Row Over Veljo Tormis Work
Controversy has sprung up over similarities between the music composed for the award-winning TV series "Top of the Lake" and an interpretation of an Estonian folk song by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis.
The music of the series' opening credits, composed by Mark Bradshaw, bears a resemblance to Tormis' work “Kust tunnen kodu” ("How Can I Recognize My Home?"), menu.err.ee reported today.
Bradshaw claims the similarity is coincidental and that both he and Tormis based their compositions on the same Estonian folk melody.
The Postimees newspaper reported earlier that the Estonian Authors' Society (EAS) has been in touch with the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) of which Bradshaw is a member. However, according to its spokesman Mario Kivistik, EAS would act as a mediator should legal action be taken and the courts will have the final say about possible plagiarism.
Kivistik told the tabloid Õhtuleht that the case is complicated by the fact that the compositions are based on folk melodies.
Mark Bradshaw's composition:
“Kust tunnen kodu?” by Veljo Tormis: