In space no one can hear you scream - while waiting waiting to hear Jerry Goldsmith's full score for Alien. But the wait is over and the complete score is now available on a double album with bonus features included. More....
Following on from our recent review for "Road to Perdition", this week we look at Thomas Newman's score to the award-winning TV miniseries Angels in America starring Al Pacino, Emma Thompson and Meryl Streep, which tackled the subject of AIDS. More...
Hans Zimmer's soundtrack for Sherlock Holmes has gypsy violins, accordians and banjos. It's full to the brim of fun, zany action, and the theme is guaranteed to stick in your mind as you leave the cinema. More...
While "Avatar" is doing well at the box-office, we look at one of James Horner's highly regarded soundtracks from 1989. The unusual story of Field of Dreams demanded a subtle treatment from the soundtrack, and Horner delivered a score which is ethereal and dreamy but building to moments of considerable power. More...
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Christmas has a homely feel to it, and the delightful Home Alone soundtrack taps into that feeling. John Williams creates some original Christmas Music, some cartoon-ish music for the baddies and some great action set pieces. Listening to this, you are transported to a world where chestnuts are roasting on an open fire. More...
Restoration is a Period Drama released in 1995 with an excellent score from James Newton Howard which deserves a closer look. Not only has the composer captured the period feel and blended beautifully with music by Henry Purcell, but he also heightens the film's dramatic flow to great effect. More...
Although some of the images in the Hellraiser Trilogy may be disturbing to some, the soundtracks are a good demonstration of how music can enhance film. Christopher Young set the standard for the original dark movie, and then turned it up a notch for the sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser 2. Randy Miller took over when the franchise was beginning to run out of steam, but this Limited Edition Box Set brings all 3 scores together in a superb package. More...
As a film composer Ryuichi Sakamoto is probably best known for two exceptional scores, and curiously he starred in both films. In "Merry Christmas Mr.Lawrence" in 1983 he played the onscreen part of Capt. Yonoi and 4 years later in "The Last Emperor" he played the role of Amakasu. Though both scores used a wide instrumental mix, the earlier film concentrated more on synthesiser sounds, while in the later film (for which he shared the best score oscar) Sakamoto concentrated on the orchestral tracks while David Byrne and Cong Su provided most of the traditional Chinese music. More...
Waltz with Bashir is a wonderfully warm, romantic, but also harrowing film by Ari Folman. Equally the soundtrack is a very moving piece of work by composer Max Richter which complements the film perfectly. With this score the composer has finally obtained proper worldwide exposure, winning the hearts of music critics and musicians around the globe. The score was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Music in an Animated Feature and, most importantly, won the European Film Awards for Best Composer in 2008. More...
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Hal Leonard Books has just published a new and completely revised second edition of The Reel World by composer Jeff Rona. The book details the technical, business, and creative aspects of becoming a successful film scorer. Based upon his significant experience in the field, the author shows how to work with the many different professionals involved in filmmaking without diluting the essential element of creativity. This revised edition includes a wealth of new interviews with some of Hollywoods top film scorers including John Williams, Carter Burwell, James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, Mark Isham, Wendy and Lisa and more. Check out an extract of the book, and receive a 20% discount on online purchases. More...
If you play the piano, check out our survey of recent film sheet music - the music from multi-award-winning animation "Up" and other oscar-nominated soundtracks, music from the Twilight movies, Star Trek, Benjamin Button and some popular musicals. More....
With the announcement that Sam Mendes is lined up to direct "Bond 23", we look back at John Barry's score for Goldfinger (Bond 3) where all the music elements came together to make the definitive and distinctive Bond Sound. More...
Following the oscar results, Michael Giacchino has a clean sweep of all the major awards for his score to "Up". The award for Original Song went to "The Weary Kind" from "Crazy Heart". See our summary of Music Awards for 2009 Films and the complete list of Music Oscars.
Since both Sam Mendes and Thomas Newman made a huge impression on "American Beauty", it was inevitable that they would work together again. Road to Perdition is a very different film, but again the composer matches Mendes' stunning visuals with bold minimalist strokes. More...
Did you know that Elmer Bernstein is the only film composer to have been nominated for an oscar during each decade from the 1950s onward? Jeffrey Dane looks at the life and work of the composer with a particular focus on Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments". More...
Christopher Young made his name with horror movies such as Hellraiser. While he is often thought of as a "horror composer" (composers can be type-cast like actors), the non-horror movies that he has scored have shown him to be an extremely versatile composer. One such movie is Murder in the First, where the composer has created a very moving score. More...
We voyage around the world with Victor Young's oscar-winning score for Around The World in 80 Days. The movie was a lavish production with many locations and cameos from lots of stars. The music reflects those locations, and takes us on a grand adventure accompanied by the main theme which became a hit song for Bing Crosby. More...
There has always been a creative cross-over between film and video games, and game music now rivals film music in its inventiveness and importance. In our first article of 2010, we survey the vast world of video game music and point out some of the key milestones on its path to greatness. More...
Though well-known as a TV composer, Bruce Broughton made a big splash in 1985 with two excellent film scores - Silverado and Young Sherlock Holmes. With its genre-twisting opportunities, Young Sherlock allowed the composer to deliver a top-notch score full of action and excitement. More...
When it comes to Sword and Sorcery Fantasy films, Basil Poledouris set the standard with his score to Conan The Barbarian. This has the expected macho sword-wielding heroics in abundance, plus a touches of mysticism and some personal dramatic moments. More...
In the early days of Hollywood, many film scores were written by conservatory trained composers from Europe. They may have been tempted by the financial rewards of a career in film music, or in some cases they were looking to escape from the troubles brewing in 1930s Europe. Franz Waxman was one of those immigrants who became a very successful composer in his adopted country. Jeffrey Dane gives us an overview of this remarkable man with some very revealing insights. More...
2006 was a very exiting year for film soundtracks, and gave the award committees a lot of excellent material to choose from. Javier Navarrete's score for Pan's Labyrinth stood out as a deserving entry among many notable scores from well-established hollywood composers. The music of "Pan's Labyrinth" has the focus and simplicity of traditional story-telling, and therefore stands very well on its own, even away from the outstanding film for which it was created. Although all the music is based upon a simple melody, a lullaby in waltz tempo, the complete soundtrack is surprising varied and transports the listener into a child's fantasy world inhabited by strange creatures. More...
Two British institutions come together for the first time this month, with a special Doctor Who Prom Concert in the Royal Albert Hall which features a mix of Classical and Doctor Who Music. The music of composer Murray Gold will feature alongside that of Copland, Holst, Wagner, Prokofiev and Turnage. The show will be presented by Freema Agyeman (who plays Martha Jones in the series) with Daleks and Cybermen, and a specially filmed scene written by departing producer Russell T Davies, starring David Tennant as the Doctor. For more about the music from the series, see our reviews of the two Doctor Who CDs covering music from Series 1 and 2 and from Series 3.