Perhaps the most significant piece of Star Wars music of the prequel trilogy, "Duel of the Fates" for chorale and orchestra boldly captures the struggle between light and darkness. We discuss the personal influences that composer John Williams brings to his compositions, and do a full musical analysis of the concert arrangement of this dynamic and exciting piece. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
In 1999, Star Wars and its music were about to change forever. In this introductory episode to the Phantom Menace and prequel trilogy, we discuss how George Lucas and composer John Williams had changed the entertainment industry with their genius, and how their work between trilogies is represented by what we see and hear on screen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Part 2 of our interview with The Lord of the Rings sound designer David Farmer. We discuss the sounds of the Balrog, the Ents, and other various creatures across all three films. David also describes his technical workflow, and speaks with great fondness about the many months he spent in New Zeland with the crew. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Lord of the Rings sound designer David Farmer joins us for an interview about his work on the films of Middle-Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Part IV of The Two Towers focuses on the love story of Aragorn and Arwen, as well as the poems of Tolkien that can be found in the orchestral score. We also break down an exciting action cue, and look at how Howard Shore's music tells the centuries-long story of Gandalf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Part III of our look at The Two Towers focuses on Gollum, Treebeard and more. We also discuss how the music blends themes and story points together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Part II of our examination of The Two Towers focuses on the kingdom of Rohan. We examine its modal melodies and how they are first introduced to us, we listen to how they're orchestrated, and we take a deep dive into Rohan's Anglo-Saxon roots. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our journey through Middle-earth continues as we begin discussing the music of The Two Towers . We discuss the structural challenges of bringing the middle portion of LOTR's giant story to the silver screen, and examine just how composer Howard Shore's thematic score assists in holding the plot together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Delve into the financial and creative challenges faced by Star Trek: The Original Series' music department in its first season. This episode details how composers like Saul Kaplan, Joseph Mullendore, and Gerald Fried, alongside skilled music editors, created partial scores and a robust music library, including unique adaptations and licensed tunes, to score nearly 30 episodes on a tight budget, concluding with the iconic "City on the Edge of Forever."
Music production on a full season of Star Trek begins! Our first two composers get to work, as Alexander Courage and Fred Steiner start writing and recording music at a frantic pace. We'll hear the rest of Courage's work on season one, and listen to Steiner's amazing contributions to Star Trek's musical vocabulary. We also examine the critical role played by the music editors, as they work to establish and shape the music of season one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...
Before making it to air, Star Trek had not one, but two pilots scored by Alexander Courage. Once the first season finally went into production, it took five composers to pull it off. This episode explores the musical, financial and creative realities of 1960s television music production, as we discuss the scores for these two pilots, and the creation of some of the show's musical sound effects. We are also introduced to season one's other four composers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...
The history of television and the origins of Star Trek are explored through the life and career of composer/orchestrator Alexander Courage, television star Lucille Ball, and Desilu music director Wilbur Hatch. The main title melodies for Star Trek are analyzed and discussed, along with their place in the history of 20th Century television music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In our final episode on the music of E.T. we listen to the second half of the movie's incredible music, cue by cue. We also discuss the work of film editor Carol Littleton, and vocal sound designer Ben Burtt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In Part II we take it from the top, and listen to how the film score for E.T. is constructed in the first half of the movie. We examine multiple themes, and discuss the movie's emotional honesty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The film score to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is widely considered to be one of the most important film scores of all time. We discuss what makes the music so great as a whole, and we discuss the evolution of the score's most important themes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In Part III of our series on Ocarina of Time, we tackle our main quest to save Hyrule by learning more complex melodies, mastering new musical dungeons, and ultimately facing off against our bongo-playing, pipe organ-pounding foes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In Part II of our series on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, we look at the first act of the game and discuss all of its musical diversity: the dungeons, the distant lands, and the melodic fragments we learn to play on our digital ocarina. The game's over "music" theme is discussed, as well is hidden homages to the Zelda series' musical past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The groundbreaking interactive music of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is both diegetic and non-diegetic music, as it plays a central role in both the story and gameplay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The music to original NES title The Legend of Zelda is discussed. We break down the main overworld theme, talk about its impact, and share memories of the original Zelda experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In part II of our interview with Carlos Rafael Rivera, we discuss how he wrote around diagetic music and sound design. Themes for the main character are discussed, as well as parts of The Queen's Gambit that feel like a sports movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We meet and celebrate Carlos Rafael Rivera, the composer for the hit Netflix series The Queen's Gambit. His musical background and career rise are discussed, as well as his overall approach to working with directors. His love for Randy Newman and film music is also covered, and we begin our in-depth discussion of The Queen's Gambit's wonderful score. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In part II of our interview with Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg, we discuss the rock and metal influences in Cobra Kai's score. We also talk about their use of thematic material, musical humor, and the show's return to Okinawa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We get a chance to sit down with Cobra Kai composers Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg, as they discuss their music, their process, and their love of film scoring. The various musical styles of the Karate Kid franchise are discussed, as well as their own unique take on this hit TV series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In our second episode on the music of Karate Kid, we take a close look at the music of Mr. Miyagi, the pan flute music of Zamfir, and how it tells the story of Miyagi and Daniel's friendship. More songs are discussed, and we hear restored music in the movie's dramatic finale for the very first time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The music in 1984's The Karate Kid is both song score and film score, and composer Bill Conti worked with both. We discover how the songs and underscore are musically related, and discuss how main character themes are woven throughout this musically eclectic movie. The history of "You're The Best" is discussed, as is the movie's dramatic finale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We take a close listen to the end of Home Alone, breaking down how the music scores the comedy, and when it holds back. Diagetic songs and song scores are discussed, as is the recording of a large collection of Holiday hits. We hear how Williams uses themes to complete the story, bringing it all home with a feel-good conclusion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Let's hear it from the top! We take a close look at various parts of Home Alone to break down the compositions, and we examine a scene with omitted music restored. The use of popular Christmas music is discussed, as is the comedic effect of orchestration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In our first look at John Williams' score for Home Alone, we discuss the background of the project, and how it greatly influenced the score. We listen to a few leitmotifs, and discuss how they became songs for the film, and we examine their use in the film. Broad styles of Holiday music are also discussed, as are themes of family, fear, and love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our final episode on Superman the Movie takes a close look at the heroic music in Metropolis, as well as the unfolding villainy of Lex Luthor. The heavy use of Superman's fanfare leitmotif is discussed, and we share thoughts from John Williams about the lasting, positive impact of Christopher Reeve as Superman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
