John Williams: Theme from Superman Context Following on from the successes from some of his other 1970s film scores for films such as Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977), John Williams produced another iconic film score for Superman in 1978. At the first recording session of the film, Director Richard Read more…
Hans Zimmer: ‘This Land’ from The Lion King Context The original motion picture soundtrack for The Lion King was released on May 31, 1994. Subsequent special releases have been seen for this film and the stage production, with ‘This Land being under various titles. For instance, in the legacy collection Read more…
Harry Gregson-Williams: To Aslan’s Camp The Music Although with a short running time of around 3 minutes, ‘To Aslan’s Camp’ is bold, heroic and highly symbolic. The strong trumpet fanfare that opens this track coincides with the group travelling towards the true hero of this tale: Aslan. The use of Read more…
Yann Tiersen: Comptine d’un autre été, l’après midi Context Composed as part of the soundtrack for the 2001 film Amélie, Comptine d’un autre été, l’après midi is one of the most iconic tracks. Composed for solo piano, the title loosely translates into ‘Nursery Rhyme from Another Summer’. Yann Tiersen composed Read more…
Danny Elfman: Grand Finale (from Edward Scissorhands) Context Danny Elfman was born in LA in 1953, and has had an incredibly successful career in the music industry. Elfman is best-known for his collaboratory work with director, Tim Burton. He has produced film scores with Burton for films such as: Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Read more…
Grant Kirkhope: Mid Boss Mayhem Context Scottish video game composer Grant Kirkhope was exposed to music from a young age. Kirkhope taught himself the guitar and was classically trained as a trumpeter at the Royal Northern College of Music. Kirkhope was involved in many different jazz ensembles, including big bands Read more…
Nigel Hess: Ladies in Lavender Context Composed for the 2004 Charles Dance film Ladies in Lavender, Nigel Hess’ soundtrack for the film became an instant hit with audiences. The film is set in 1930s Cornwall so the lyrical and romantic opening theme perfectly matches the scenery and general character of Read more…
Ramin Djawadi: Game of Thrones Main Title Context Iranian-German film composer Ramin Djawadi (1974-) is currently best-known for his music for the HBO series Game of Thrones, the 2008 Marvel film Iron Man and television series Prison Break. He has been nominated for numerous awards including a Grammy for Game Read more…
Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story Context Leonard Bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts on August 25th, 1918. The son of Ukrainian Jewish parents, Bernstein’s interest in music education was initially opposed by his father, who was a business man in the area. His father’s attitude began to Read more…
John Williams: Theme from Jurassic Park Context Composed for the 1993 Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park, the theme to the film has remained one of John Williams’ most iconic works. The soundtrack was conducted a month after its composition, with Williams conducting a large proportion of the recording. However, after Read more…