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The guitarist Vic Flick passed away last month at the age of 87. He was a session musician with an extraordinary array of credits starting in the 1950s. He played on songs for artists including Petula Clark, Tom Jones, Herman's Mermits, Cliff Richard, Dusty Springfield, Eric Clapman, Englebert Humperdinck and Shirley Bassey. But there was one role which cemented his fame. He had joined the John Barry Seven in the late 1950s and when John Barry came to arrange Monty Norman's James Bond Theme for "Dr. No" in 1962, it was Vic Flick who played the distinctive guitar riff that has been used on every Bond film since then, and is recognised across the globe. Barry and Flick tried various options to get the sound required for Bond - guitar, plectrum, pickup type/position, amp and playing style before settling on the final formula including a "Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxe" and a very hard plectrum.
Mufasa: The Lion King is now on general release. Excluding various spinoffs, Mufasa is the prequel and spiritual successor to The Lion King. Music is of course central to the new film as it was with the original. The unmistakeable voice of Lebo M. again provides the foundation, but apart from this and various thematic callbacks we have a largely new team of musicians and songwriters. For the songs, the ubiquitous Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Mancina take over from Elton John and Tim Rice. The score has been written by Dave Metzger replacing Hans Zimmer on the original's score. There are two main music releases whose covers are both shown here: Lin-Manuel Miranda's songtrack is available on CD and download (Amazon.co.uk & Amazon.com) and the "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack/Deluxe Edition" featuring the songs and score though for streaming/download only with a total of 38 tracks lasting 1 hour 23 mins (Amazon Music, Apple Music & Spotify). I've only heard the new album once compared with the familiarity of the original, but Mufasa comes close to matching the original movie in the music department, and it has a stronger African feel in the vocals and drumming.
On this occasion I bring you some local news - local to me that is! Edinburgh has a new orchestra called "Capella Edina" which has been launched, announcing a series of concerts in 2025. A new orchestra is something to celebrate in its own right, but a look at the programme for 2025 shows a distinct synergy with the ethos of mfiles. All four concerts in 2025 contain elements of both classical music and film music. While that is not totally new, to feature this genre combination over an entire season of concerts is rare yet very welcome. Their inaugural concert will be on 16th January, featuring Bruckner's 6th Symphony, a new commission from James Clay called "Orbit / Adrift" (an intriguing title suggesting a certain song about Major Tom), John Williams' Star Wars Suite and Erich Korngold's Main Title from the movie "Kings Row". See the Capella Edina website for more information. Best wishes to Capella Edina and I hope to provide further coverage of their music in due course.
The music of composer Debbie Wiseman is receiving plenty of attention at the moment. First we have the long-awaited return of Wolf Hall to our TV screens. It is almost 10 years since the first season was broadcast, but now season 2 called "Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light" is underway, with most of the original cast and crew. That returning crew includes Debbie Wiseman with a lot of new music as the story unfolds and we see the fate of Thomas Cromwell as played by Mark Rylance. The album will be released on 13th December, and launched the same day with a special concert performed by The Locrian Ensemble conducted by the composer herself. The live event will include a Q&A session and signing at Rough Trade East in London. More about this event at Dice.
"Jack Frost: A Winter Story" will get an even earlier release. This is Alan Titchmarsh's version of the Jack Frost tale. This is presented as a theatrical/audio dramatisation with narration by the author himself, and plenty of music interludes composed by Wiseman. This will have an album release on November 22nd in plenty of time for Christmas! Pre-order this album at Silva Screen Records.
Now available on Disney+ is "Music by John Williams" - the definitive documentary of the composer John Williams and his music career. The story is told through the words of many of the people who have worked with John Williams or been influenced by him, including directors, producers, filmmakers, conductors, fellow composers and musicians, from the likes of Steven Spielberg (of course, given their special partnership) through to Chris Martin from Coldplay. There is much about his personal life including his wives and his children, but most of all this is about his music and the way he has single-handedly redefined what film music is all about. Naturally much of the documentary is underscored using extracts from the incredibly rich collection of music from Williams' many film scores. To whet your appetite, view the trailer here on YouTube.
Cliff Eidelman is known as a film composer, with credits such as "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" with a notably darker tone than previous movies in the series. Other Eidelman film scores include "Crazy People", "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery", "Free Willy 3: The Rescue", "My Girl 2" and "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants". In fact at one point he was to score the TV series "Star Trek: Discovery" too. His career has another branch dedicated to concert music, including an orchestral suite inspired by Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in 1997. His most recent release is his Symphony No.2 which like "The Tempest" has been recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) conducted by the composer. The music will appeal to film music fans as it is dramatic and melodic, with notable parts for piano and mezzo-soprano. It is available to stream (e.g. on YouTube) and here is Cliff Eidelman introducing the Symphony on the same platform. His first "Symphony for Orchestra and Two Pianos" was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven's Triple Concerto is unique in classical music, essentially a Concerto for Piano Trio and Orchestra, rather than a single Soloist and Orchestra. And this recording brings together a star team consisting of Nicola Benedetti (violin), Benjamin Grosvenor (piano), Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello). Perfect casting, you might say, since all three first made an impact as finalists in the BBC Young Musician competition. Although accustomed to play as soloists, the 3 instrumentalists come together beautifully as a coherent group, ably accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali. Following the Concerto itself on the album, the instrumentalists then accompany Bass-Baratone Gerald Finley in selected songs from Beethoven's various collections of Scottish, Welsh and Irish Folk Songs. Finally the Trio perform an instrumental version of the Londonderry Air (aka. Oh Danny Boy aka. Farewell to Cucullain) arranged by the brothers Fritz & Hugo Kreisler, violinist & cellist respectively. This final track was released earlier this year as a teaser single. The album was presumably recorded before Nicola got too busy on 2024's Edinburgh Festival, and it is available at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
Twilight Time is a documentary film about Australian security and surveillance expert Des Ball, who was described by president Jimmy Carter as "the man who saved the world" when he advised the US against nuclear escalation in the 1970s. The film by John Hughes uses a wealth of archive footage, and composer Brett Aplin weaves his musical magic around the film to create a thought-provoking experience. He employs a piano jazz combo to underline the period in the opening and at key moments and, though he sometimes uses traditional orchestration, much of the remaining soundtrack underscores the drama of the geopolitical situation with a range of sonic effects and ambient atmospherics. I am also reminded at times of some of the period electronics heard on the series "Stranger Things". The film premieres at the "Melbourne International Film Festival" this month, and the soundtrack album is available here on streaming services. Definitely worth a listen!
The Dutch composer/pianist Jeroen Elfferich has released an album called "Infinito" of music for piano duet, which he plays along with the Bulgarian pianist Ivan Pavlov. Elfferich compares his music to Dutch artists such as Mondrian and Escher, and the comparison is easy to understand though most would describe his music as minimalist, based on repeating and modifying patterns. With two pianos there are at least two simultaneous patterns, and the way these combine can be surprising. "Infinito" is also the name of the title track, and shows listeners what to expect. The music is always soothing and relaxing, and strangely hypnotic. There is a winding down towards the end of the track, initially barely perceptible. "21 emotional combinations" uses even simpler 2-note figures, seemingly quite stark on a single piano until the 2nd piano joins in. The pianos can combine in different ways. Sometimes the notes fit together nicely and sometimes they are dischordant, so there is variety even with this basic structure. It is surprising how simple concepts can generate variety and have an emotional impact. The album can be found on major streaming platforms via this link Jeroen Elfferich: Infinito.
The original "Wizardry" video game series started in the 1980s but initially had no music. The game which started it all, "Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord" has been given a modern 3D makeover with a full score by acclaimed game composer Winifred Phillips, and it has been released for free streaming on Spotify and streaming and download on Bandcamp. But don't expect a Harry Potter rip-off, the gameplay and music are more complex than that. Some tracks have looked to different ethnic and period styles for inspiration, and these might be thought of as scene-setting source music for the different game locations. But the score's kernel concerns the story's exciting fantasy adventures and its overall emotional journey. This reaches its climax in the penultimate track called "Wrath of the Wizard" which is a truly rousing orchestral and choral battle anthem, like a dark medieval "Duel of the Fates". The march-like final track then follows with fanfares galore.
The film composer Jan A. P. Kaczmarek (1953-2024) died in May at the age of 71 after battling with an ongoing terminal illness. Born in Poland the composer moved to hollywood where he scored many movies, and he won an oscar in 2004 for his music to Finding Neverland. He also scored "Total Eclipse", "Washington Square", a remake of "Quo Vadis?", "Unfaithful", "Passchendaele" and "Hachiko: A Dog's Story". Kaczmarek also maintained connections with his native Poland and wrote music for various Polish movies and events.
Richard M. Sherman (1928–2024) also died last month. He was the brother and songwriting partner of Robert B. Sherman (1925–2012), the pair usually known as the "Sherman Brothers". Together they were responsible for the songs of many Disney musicals including Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sword in the Stone, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Happiest Millionaire, The AristoCats, The Slipper and the Rose and various Winnie the Pooh films.
I've previously mentioned "Tales from the Loop", the quirky sci-fi series based on the art of Swede Simon Stålenhag and its original soundtrack by Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan. A new release sees the music from the series find its spiritual home on piano solo, courtesy of Paul Leonard-Morgan. I say "spiritual home" since much of Glass' early music was for piano, and I'm sure most of his later compositions are also worked out on the instrument. The original TV soundtrack was for piano and strings, so it feels like a short step to piano solo where the music reaches its own minimal essence. The new piano solo album can be found on various streaming platforms via the album link Tales from the Loop and maybe we can hope for a sheet music release in the near future.
Shardlake is a new 4-part drama starting on Disney+ (UK) and Hulu (US), based on the first novel in C.J. Sansom's murder mystery series set in Tudor times. The titular character is the investigating lawyer Matthew Shardlake (played by Arthur Hughs) and the composer is the award-winning Alex Heffes (The Regime, The Last King of Scotland, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom). Shardlake is disabled and to reflect his disability, the composer's music is performed by the Paraorchestra consisting of disabled and non-disabled professional musicians. There is a lot of choral music (performed by the choir Tenebrae) sometimes with a religious flavour given that the murder took place in a monastery. But the music also has a raw earthy quality which sits perfectly with the period, but with some modern touches reflecting the machinations uncovered as the central mystery is investigated. Here's the series Shardlake trailer and the Shardlake score on youtube.
"The First Omen" is a prequel of the original "The Omen", Richard Donner's original movie from 1976, and is set before the birth of Damien (the Antichrist) who features in "The Omen" and sequels. In "The First Omen" a devote young American woman moves to Italy in the service of the church, but she encounters unexplained dark manifestations and a conspiracy in the church. The film score is by Mark Korven who has recently been making a name for himself in the Horror/Mystery/Sci-fi genres, with film such as "The Witch", "The Lighthouse" and "The Black Phone". His score for "The First Omen" makes great use of voices - both for some off-kilter religious singing and for some suberbly creepy sound effects. The voices are accompanied by distressed strings, low brass, percussion and other sounds, making for a modern deliciously uncomfortable horror score which charts the growing unease of the young woman. Korven even has time to reference Jerry Goldsmith's original oscar-winning score with a touch of his "Ave Satani". The score album is available to stream and download from services such as Youtube.
You may have seen the extraordinary movie "Poor Things". It won 4 oscars and is currently streaming on Disney+. It was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, with fantastic central performances from Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe. The music score from English composer Jerskin Fendrix (real name: Joscelin Dent-Pooley) was nominated for an oscar, a bafta and a golden globe. It stands out from typical film music with its feeling of something broken, often transparent of purpose but decidedly off kilter. The magnificent score seems doubly surprising, given that "Poor Things" is the composer's first feature film, and Fendrix got the gig when director Lanthimos heard his debut album "Winterreise". The composer has an on-screen cameo part as a "Lisbon Restaurant Musician". The Poor Things score is available to stream and download. The same team (Director Yorgos Lanthimos, Stars Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe, and composer Jerskin Fendrix) well be reunited in the movie "Kinds of Kindness" due to be released in June this year. The Kinds of Kindness trailer is also now available on youtube.
We really enjoyed the score for Armando Iannucci's "The Death of Stalin" by Christopher Willis, so it's good to report that this Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is to be performed live to screen by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Matt Dunkley. The live orchestra screening will take place at the Barbican in London on 27th March, and the event will be followed by a Q&A featuring director Armando Iannucci, composer Christopher Willis, producer Kevin Loader and stars of the film Jason Isaacs and Michael Palin. The screening will also feature additional soundtrack music composed by Willis especially for the event. The score will also be released in Dolby Atmos format for a truly immersive experience and as a hi-res digital master. For more information about the new audio releases see The Death of Stalin and for the live orchestral concert to screen event, see Barbican: The Death of Stalin Live.
Recently released on Netflix is the movie "Damsel". This is a Fairy Tale with a difference - it has all the expected fantasy tropes, but in this modern re-imaging the Damsel fights back. The film stars Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winston and Angela Bassett, and the music is by David Fleming. Fleming has recent credits for "Mr & Mrs Smith", co-credits with Hans Zimmer for "Blue Planet II" and Additional Music Credits for "Dune", "Dune: II", "Chicago Fire" and "The Last of Us". The composer is on the cusp of an A-list career and "Damsel" will propel it further. The score makes much use of voices, often as wordless effects or whispering but maybe in some ancient language. Some of the scene setting has a magical/mystical sound and there's a great feeling of adventure, but soon the threat motifs turn into pure darkess, and the score morphs into all-out action with some horror-type scares. For the Dragon Fleming uses the horn sound of an ancient carnyx. Both movie and score can be recommended - see these links for the movie trailer and for Fleming's film score.
Alexander Melnikov is the famous Russian pianist, who is well-known for playing period keyboards and found fame playing and contrasting the Bach and Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues. "Fantasie" is a double-concept album which matches Melnikov's strengths and interests. As the album cover suggests, not only does it showcase how 7 different composers have interpreted the free-form musical concept of a "Fantasy", but it also demonstrates their Fantasies on 7 different instruments that were available to those composers in their own time periods. So the pianist/harpsichordist performs Fantasies by Bach (father J.S. and son C.P.E.), Mozart (2 examples), Mendelssohn (the 3 movement Fantasia in F# minor), Chopin, Busoni and Schnittke and squeezes in 2 fugues (by J.S.Bach and Schnittke) whose chosen Fantasies are each followed by a Fugue. Wonderfully performed, the album highlights the compositional variety we can hear from a single concept, and the sonic variety from the parallel evolution of keyboard instruments. The album is available from these links at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
With the Oscar nominations announced yesterday and the Golden Globes presented earlier this month, award season is now well under way. The composer Ludwig Göransson has a Golden Globe so far for "Oppenheimer", and is also nominated for a BAFTA and an Oscar. Sadly Robbie Robertson passed away last year, but has still received nominations for all 3 main awards. "Barbie" is doing well in the Song categories with 2 Oscar and 3 Golden Globe nominations. In "She Came to Me" Peter Dinklage plays a fictional opera composer, and in "Maestro" Bradley Cooper plays the real life composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein. Composer John Williams will be 92 next month, and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" is his 54th oscar nomination. He is the most oscar-nominated living person and the oldest ever nominee. For film-music awards so far see our page: Film Music Awards 2024.
News reports today have intimated that the composer Laurie Johnson died last week at the age of 96. He started out as a bandleader and provided music for the stage musical "Lock Up Your Daughters" with lyrics by Lionel Bart. However he is best known as a composer for film and television, and in that role he excelled at capturing a wide range of moods and styles, always able to move with the times as musical tastes evolved. His wide range of film scores included memorable examples such as "Tiger Bay", "Dr. Strangelove", "First Men in the Moon", "Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter", and "It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet" (film sequel to "All Creatures Great and Small"). He also scored many television series, and his TV themes were known to millions of viewers, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s with shows such as "Top Secret", "Animal Magic", "The Avengers", "This Is Your Life", "Shirley's World" (American series with Shirley MacLaine), "Jason King", "Thriller" (long-running anthology series), "The New Avengers" and "The Professionals".
We are saddened to report the death this week of composer Peter Schickele at the age of 88. Although he wrote some serious music, he is best known as a comedic musician and performer - see our mfiles article Humour in Music. His most famous creation, in many ways his alter ego, is the fictional composer P.D.Q. Bach who is supposed to be a son of J.S. Bach. Schickele released a number of albums of music by P.D.Q. Bach (see these representative albums on Amazon for example), and he also gave regular performances taking the mickey out of lots of musical conventions and using terrible puns and wordplay. Among his more serious work is the score for the cult sci-fi movie "Silent Running". Two final examples in memory of the composer are his own words "P.D.Q Bach was a man who was ahead of his time, but he couldn't have died a moment too soon" and the video Tribute to Peter Schickele from the P.D.Q. Bach Fan Channel on youtube.
A lot has happened on Doctor Who over the past couple of months, with several music-related events and news items. Murray Gold has now returned as the series composer, scoring a Children in Need minisode and three 60th Anniversary Specials reuniting David Tennant and Catherine Tate. A Musical Celebration Concert (available on iPlayer) was held in Cardiff featuring music and composers from the classic series, and also from the new series in the shape of Murray Gold and Segun Akinola. The concert introduced us to Murray's new themes for the 15th Doctor and for keyboardist companion Ruby Sunday. Two more classic scores have been released, including "Revenge of the Cybermen" by Carey Blyton and "Time and the Rani" by Jeff McCulloch, and there was even a charity single release of the "Goblin Song" from the Christmas Special. And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Our article on Doctor Who Music has now been updated to reflect these events and a lot more, with the New Series in the Spring promising a lot more musical inspiration.
For current and recent new items, see Jim's Blog.
For older posts, the archive pages are Jim's Blog 2024, Jim's Blog 2023, Jim's Blog 2022, Jim's Blog 2021, Jim's Blog 2020, Jim's Blog 2019, Jim's Blog 2018, Jim's Blog 2017, Jim's Blog 2016, Jim's Blog 2015, Jim's Blog 2014, Jim's Blog 2013, Jim's Blog 2012, Jim's Blog 2011, Jim's Blog 2010, and Jim's Blog 2009.
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