Songs of the Sea: The Regatta Suite - by Jeff Rona

The Sea has always been a great source of inspiration for all types or creative people, whether artists, story-tellers, poets or composers. Jeff Rona was commissioned to compose music for the nautical events held at this year's Olympic Games in China. The music was performed in a number of Chinese cities, and the composer has now adapted and recorded the music so that it can be experienced more widely. The resulting album is called Songs of the Sea: The Regatta Suite and clearly illustrates how good a composer Rona is. The music is varied - in places heroic and majestic, but at other times impressionistic and evocative. More...

The music of James Bond 007

With new Bond film "Quantum of Solace" on general release, we take a look at the Music of James Bond. Two new CD releases have taken differing approaches to celebrating the last 45+ years of James Bond music. The Best of Bond has been superbly crafted by conductor Carl Davis with a mixture of Bond Songs and incidental tracks. In contrast James Bond: The Gold Edition is purely instrumental but comes on 2 CDs with a comprehensive booklet on the history of James Bond music.

Alexander Courage - Going Boldly

Earlier this year the world lost a major contributor to film and television music, when Alexander Courage passed away at the age of 88. He worked as an orchestrator on major musicals such as "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "Guys and Dolls", "Porgy and Bess", "My Fair Lady", "Doctor Dolittle", "Hello Dolly", and "Fiddler on the Roof", and movies such as "The Island of Dr. Moreau", "Basic Instinct", "Jurassic Park", "First Knight", and "The Mummy". He composed music for many television series including "Lassie", "Lost in Space", "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and for many years on "The Waltons". He is most remember for creating the original "Star Trek" theme which has been quoted on most subsequent "Star Trek" series and films. More...

Torchwood - music by Ben Foster and Murray Gold

Newly released, this album covers music from the first two seasons of Torchwood the post-watershed spin-off from the nation's favourite "Doctor Who". Most of the incidental music has come from Ben Foster who acted as orchestrator and conductor for "Doctor Who" with the parent series' resident composer Murray Gold providing the "Torchwood" main theme and one or two episodes. The style is similar in some ways, with some of the orchestral sections being recorded by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Cardiff, but Torchwood veers off into the kind of dark adult territory that is out of bounds for "Doctor Who". More...

Javier Navarrete - Pan's Labyrinth

2006 was a very exiting year for film soundtracks, and gave the award committees a lot of excellent material to choose from. Javier Naverrete'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...

Bernard Herrmann - Taxi Driver

This week we revisit a favourite film score when we find it in an unusual format. "The Vinyl Classics" series has re-released a number of classic soundtracks in a format which looks exactly like a small but perfectly formed LP. Although black in colour and unlike any other CD, it will play on your CD player, and Taxi Driver is a soundtrack which needs to be revisited from time to time. It was composer Bernard Herrmann's last soundtrack but, among a whole career of superlative scores, this is one of his best and fully matches the performances we see on screen. In central position there is a jazz feel with a wonderful sax solo, which sums up the view of New York as witnessed by the Taxi Driver. More...

New Film Sheet Music

Compared with a few years ago, there is now a staggering amount of film sheet music available, both song-based and instrumental soundtrack and typically arranged for piano. The trend is now to release Sheet Music at the same time as movie soundtracks, to tie in with the movie's theatrical and/or DVD release. Not all movies have sufficient playable music to fill a sheet music book, but even these movies are still catered for. The "Essential Film Themes" series is now up to number 6 containing the finest music from today's outstanding films. For those who also have an interest in older film music, there is also the continuing "Collection" Series with music from different film genres, now adding "Adventure", "Animation" and "Costume Drama" to the existing themes. Check out our survey of recent Film Sheet Music.

Planet Twist from The SG Sound

The Planet Twist album is well named since its has its roots in the swinging 60s when "The Twist" was the latest dance craze. This is a modern but nostalgic look back at some of the music of those days, and is a fusion of many influences from the period, with classic electric guitar sounds meeting period jazz bands. The SG Sound is the unique creation of composer Stephen Greaves, and if you remember hearing music from those days, these tracks will instantly transport you back to the 60s and those old vinyl discs turning at 45 rpm. This music is lively and evocative, but most of all it is fun, fun, fun. More...

The Doctor Who Prom Concert by Murray Gold

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.

The Kite Runner by Alberto Iglesias

In light of his previous score for Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" in 2006, Alberto Iglesias' music for The Kite Runner marks a change from the sensual Spanish vibes of Flamenco dance music to traditional Afghan styles. The story is a very personal one but set amidst a series of tumultuous political changes in Afghanistan, from the fall of the country's monarchy and the Soviet invasion, to the dominance of the Taliban. For capturing the unique perspective of this story in such a beautiful way, the composer's score received nominations for many awards, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Oscar. More...

Brick Lane by Jocelyn Pook

Jocelyn Pook is an experienced viola player with a varied background as a performer. She has composed extensively for the theatre and concert hall, with her first major film score being "Eyes Wide Shut" for the late Stanley Kubrick in 1999. Her latest film score Brick Lane depicts a Bangladeshi woman who moved to an arranged marriage in London. With the film's emphasis on how people adapt to circumstances in different cultures, and filled with flashbacks to life in Bangladesh, Pook's authentic Eastern music is at the heart of this story and mixes seemlessly with elements of Western style underscore. More...

Ratatouille by Michael Giacchino

On paper, Ratatouille is a distinctly strange proposition even for an animated movie: a rat working in a kitchen who turns out to have talents as a gourmet chef! Yet the movie was by the same team who created "The Incredibles", and "Ratatouille" turned out to be equally entertaining and fun for all the family, winning many awards while composer Michael Giacchino rightfully received an oscar nomination for his contribution to the experience. The music is upbeat, wild, dizzy, spectacular and original, one of the best scores of 2007, and should be on the music lover's list. More...

The Golden Compass by Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Desplat has made quite a name for himself in recent years, receiving much critical acclaim and winning a number of awards. He has certainly demonstrated his skills at incorporating ethnic influences in his scores such as "The Painted Veil" and "Syriana", but for the most part his films have been character-driven or even eccentric which seems to suit his style very well indeed. However with The Golden Compass we get to hear the composer take on a big budget mainstream film adaptation of a fantasy children's novel, and Desplat crafts some suitably full orchestral tracks and action accompaniment, while still retaining elements of his more intimate style for the characterisation. More...

Camille Saint-Saens - The Elephant and Film Music

Regular visitors to mfiles will know that we cover both Classical and Film Music. The French Composer Camille Saint-Saens is the first well-known composer to compose music in both these camps. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the film "L'Assassinat du Duc de Guise" which is considered to be the first film for which music was specially commissioned. Among the composer's most famous concert pieces is "The Carnival of the Animals" which is a fun suite which depicts (and sometimes caricatures) various members of the animal kingdom. One of its movements is called "The Elephant" where a double-bass plays a ponderous but witty waltz. More...

• The Elephant - original score for double-bass and piano
• The Elephant - arranged for piano solo

The Blob (and other Creepy Sounds) - Ralph Carmichael and others

Many people have a fondness for early Monster and Sci-Fi movies and soundtracks and "Monstrous Movie Music" caters directly for that market. Often they must resort to re-creating soundtracks when the music is no longer available. However original recordings of The Blob were carefully preserved, and have been remastered for this latest release. Written by Jazz and Film composer Ralph Carmichael, the score is full of suspense with suitably scary moments and a love theme for Steve McQueen and his girlfriend. When the film was released the Main Title was replaced with a light hearted but catchy theme song by Burt Bacharach. Both these tracks are presented on this superb album - it is great to rediscover gems like this. More...

Airwolf Themes - Sylvester Levay, Udi Harpaz and Mark J Cairns

Do you remember "Airwolf" the TV series from the 80s with its super-sophisticated helicopter and exciting theme tune. The theme tune was written by Sylvester Levay who with Udi Harpaz wrote most of the series' incidental music. This music could have fallen into obscurity if it wasn't for fan Mark J Cairns who recreated their music in a double album. This was a limitied edition release and its cult rarity value meant that at one time the album was trading on eBay for many times its original value. The music has now been presented as a special online release and all the tracks can be downloaded in mp3 format. Check out our review of this rather special release, and relive the infectious electonic sounds of the 1980s. More...

Blade Runner 25th Anniversary - by Vangelis

It is now 25 years since "Blade Runner" first hit our screens, and the movie and its music have had a remarkable impact on subsequent films and soundtracks. To mark the anniversary, director Ridley Scott has released his definitive version of the film called "The Final Cut", and composer Vangelis has released a 3 CD celebration of the music. CD1 of this Trilogy is the original soundtrack release, CD2 contains previously unreleased music from the film including some tracks which weren't used in the movie, and CD3 is all new material by Vangelis inspired by the music and mood of the Blade Runner score. Further details and a short interview with Vangelis can be found on our review page. More...

Beowulf - by Alan Silvestri

The film composer Alan Silvestri has long been associated with director Robert Zemeckis, having scored many of his films from the "Back to the Future" trilogy, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and "Forrest Gump" through to the more recent "Polar Express". Their latest film Beowulf uses the same Performance Capture process as "Polar Express" which essential turns a live action movie into a kind of computer animation with added special effects. Much of the music is definitely very "Macho" with loud drums and brass, with limited synth effects helping to establish the ancient mythical setting. However these moments and their associated main theme don't dominate the movie, and are well balanced by the mysterious seduction tracks and a couple of songs sung by Robin Wright-Penn in the movie. More...

Silence, Night & Dreams - Zbigniew Preisner

A unique concert called Silence, Night & Dreams will be held in London's Barbican Centre on December 2nd. This features the UK Premiere of the latest composition by Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner. This is a large scale work for orchestra, chorus and soloists, and the composer will conduct the London Symphony Orchestra with the Crouch End Festival Chorus and soloists led by special guest Teresa Salgueiro. The programme also includes music from "The Double Life of Veronique" and the "Three Colours" trilogy, films which the composer scored for the late Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski. More...

Atonement - by Dario Marianelli

In some ways the music to Atonement is a return to the world of "Pride and Prejudice" for composer Dario Marianelli, with its piano theme taking central place and performed once again by French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. On closer inspection however, this is a very different soundtrack with greater emotional depth and a central duet between Thibaudet's Piano and the Cello of Caroline Dale. There are other solo moments for Clarinet, Oboe and even Harmonica but the score has some unusual tricks up its sleeve. In places it carefully blends underscore with some period choral music, but most unusual of all it features an old-fashioned typewriter as a musical instrument! More...

The Simpsons Movie - by Hans Zimmer

With his soundtrack to The Simpsons Movie, composer Hans Zimmer had a lot to live up to. The Simpsons TV series has always maintained a high reputation for its music, from its delightful theme tune by Danny Elfman to Alf Clausen's wonderful in-show music which over the years has brought us some cunning pastiches of just about every genre imaginable. There have also been numerous albums of collected songs from the series. So all these ingredients have been very carefully laid down as part of the Simpsons musical tradition and with his cinematic score, Zimmer has stuck very closely to this tradition while demonstrating his versatility. More...

The Queen - by Alexandre Desplat

French composer Alexandre Desplat, with a lot of soundtrack experience working on French and European films, has only recently turned to English language films in the Hollywood tradition. There he has been quietly building a new reputation for subtle or unusual film scores such as "Girl with a Pearl Earring", "Birth", "Hostage" and "Syriana". 2006 was his breakthrough year in terms of formal recognition, winning a Golden Globe for "The Painted Veil" and Academy nominations on both sides of the Atlantic for The Queen. Despite the story for "The Queen" covering affairs of state and the aftermath of a tragic death, manages to bring a certain lightness of touch and therefore warmth to the subject matter. More...

Notes on a Scandal - by Philip Glass

Alongside "The Illusionist", Notes on a Scandal was the second film soundtrack created by Philip Glass last year, and this one was to receive an Oscar nomination (the composer's third after "Kundun" and "The Hours"). Very much like "The Hours", "Notes on a Scandal" is an intense character-driven film whose music suggests the mental state of the main characters. In the CD's sleeve-notes, Glass tells us that he approached the score from the point of view of Barbara (the older teacher, played by Judi Dench). While the obvious scandal of the story concerns a younger teacher played by Cate Blanchett, the score begins and ends with the manipulative character of Barbara. More...

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes - by Miklós Rózsa

This year celebrates the centenary of the birth of composer Miklos Rozsa and among other commemorative items there is a new release of a suberb collector's album of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. The film score also gives an insight into the private life of the composer, because at the request of director Billy Wilder it uses some of the haunting melodies from Rozsa's Violin Concerto. The album is a wonderful package with a comprehensive booklet about the film and music and their creation, and it also features a full 20 minutes of music written for the film but not used in the finished cut, which gives yet another insight into the creative process. More...

The Fountain - by Clint Mansell

The history of electronica-infused soundtracks is far from being illustrious, maybe because many of them are tired clones, awkwardly edited into uninspired movies. However, you are pretty much guaranteed a masterpiece when composer Clint Mansell scores a film, especially one directed by the inspired Darren Aronofsky. The soundtrack to The Fountain has managed to stir-up more interest than the film (and that's saying something!), and has been nominated for Best Score at the Broadcast Film Critics Association in addition to the U.S Golden Globes, and has won the Chicago Film Critics Association as well as the Online Film Critics Society. More...

Casino Royale by David Arnold

With Casino Royale composer David Arnold largely ditches the techno used increasingly on his previous Bond releases, and instead invites in fresh material and new ideas. Dark, confident, mysterious, and adventurous, the score is a welcome entry in the Bond series, coming close to the atmosphere and charm of the good old-fashioned compositions by John Barry. Though it would be hard to beat classics such as "Goldfinger", Arnold has nevertheless managed to release the best Bond film score since the late 80’s. Casino Royale was among the scores nominated at the recent BAFTA awards, though it lost out to Gustavo Santaolalla's "Babel". More...