Casablanca: the Music and History

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 ...  Show more

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 trilo ...  Show more

The Oscar and Grammy winning composer, who has masterfully scored some 150 films, reflects on his musical influences; how he began combining instruments and technology to produce new sounds; why he nearly passed on projects for which he later produced iconic work, including 'The ...  Show more

There was a time when movie soundtracks were the lifeblood of the recorded music industry…the lp record, which was introduced in June 1948, was developed at least partially at the behest of movie studios and Broadway show producers looking a better listening experience. The fir ...  Show more

Our latest guest on Soundtracking is a composer we've been trying to pin down since day one of the podcast, back in 2016.Alexandre Desplat is a true giant of the film scoring business, having been nominated for numerous Oscars and winning one for his work on Wes Anderson's Grand ...  Show more

Matthew Sweet looks at music for films set against the background of WW1, including Joseph Kosma's music for Jean Renoir's masterpiece La Grande Illusion. The First World War prompted a cinematic response even before the War was over and has continued to exercise the film maker's ...  Show more