Film Score

The Vocalise: Music of André Previn and John Williams

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Free of the literal meaning of a text, the wordless vocalise floats into a dreamy and surreal landscape. In André Previn’s Vocalise, the singer enters into a haunting musical conversation with the solo cello and the instrumental voices of the orchestra. Composed at Tanglewood on July 18, 1995 for Sylvia McNair and Yo Yo Ma, the work was originally scored for voice, cello, and piano, and was orchestrated later. Previn, the German-American pianist, …

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Theodore Shapiro’s “Severance” Theme: Haunting and Hypnotic

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In a recent post at his Youtube channel, Everything Music, Rick Beato analyzes the title theme from the hit television series, Severance, composed by Theodore Shapiro. Built on modal harmony, the theme is at once haunting, hypnotic, satisfying, and unsettling. Developing from a small fragment, its tension-filled melodic line is filled with wrenching, exotic intervals. Shapiro drew subtle inspiration from David Shire’s theme for the 1974 film noir thriller, The Conversation, which similarly features …

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William Walton’s “Henry V” Film Score: Two Pieces for Strings

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Laurence Olivier’s Technicolor film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V resonated powerfully with a war-weary public at the time of its release in November of 1944. Shakespeare’s 1599 history play includes the stirring St. Crispin’s Day speech, in which King Henry rallies his outnumbered troops to triumphant victory against all odds at the Battle of Agincourt. (“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…”) The film was originally “dedicated to the Commandos and …

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David Raksin’s “The Bad and the Beautiful” Suite: A Classic Film Score

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David Raksin (1912-2004) was widely regarded as the “Grandfather of Film Music.” He composed over 100 film scores and 300 television scores, including the iconic main theme of the 1944 film noir drama, Laura. Throughout Laura, the theme recurs as a haunting idée fixe as the protagonist, a detective investigating a murder, becomes increasingly obsessed with the victim. Born in Philadelphia, Raksin studied composition in Los Angeles with Arnold Schoenberg. One of his earliest …

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Perlman Plays Morricone: The Love Theme from “Cinema Paradiso”

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Itzhak Perlman joins the Richmond Symphony this weekend. The program includes music from Perlman’s Cinema Serenade albums, both of which feature solo violin adaptations of classic film music. The first Cinema Serenade volume, released in 1996, concludes with the love theme from the 1988 coming-of-age drama, Cinema Paradiso. The film was scored by the late Academy Award-winning Italian composer, Ennio Morricone, who worked in collaboration with his son, Andrea Morricone. It was Andrea …

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Duke Ellington’s “Paris Blues”: Music from the 1961 Film Score

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The 1961 film Paris Blues, starring Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier, tells the story of two expatriate American jazz musicians who are living in 1960s Paris. Dedicated to their artistry, the two are confronted with difficult choices when they meet and fall in love with two American female tourists. The film’s score, written by Duke Ellington, features performances by Ellington’s Orchestra, with Louis Armstrong appearing on two tracks. At the 34th Academy …

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Remembering David Cripps, the Horn Player who Created Princess Leia

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David Cripps, the legendary British horn player, passed away last week following a battle with cancer. Cripps served as principal horn of the London Symphony Orchestra between 1974 and 1983. During that time, he performed and recorded under such conductors as André Previn and Claudio Abbado. Perhaps he will be remembered most for his original soundtrack performances of Princess Leia‘s Theme, and other horn solos throughout John Williams’ iconic film scores for Star Wars …

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