Sound of Cinema

Matthew Sweet showcases film scores about female firsts and cinematic examples of outstanding achievements by women, and he chats to composer Amelia Warner about her score for the new film Young Woman and the Sea recalling the story of Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel.The programme also includes music from Pope Joan, Cleopatra, Captain Marvel, Hidden Figures, Suffragette, Radioactive, Amelia, Mary Shelley, and the Classic Score of the Week - Toshiro Mayazumi's music for the 1966 movie The Bible: In The Beginning...

Matthew Sweet in conversation with the Oscar-winning composer of Shakespeare in Love, Stephen Warbeck.

Matthew Sweet celebrates 50 years of one of cinema's greatest collaborations - that of director Steven Spielberg and his composer of choice, John Williams. With music from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Schindler's List and Jurassic Park. Matthew gives us a close encounter with the music for Close Encounters Of The Third Kind as he analyses the scene of humanity's first contact with the alien mothership.

Laura Karpman is best known for her work composing the soundtracks for The Marvels, and the Disney+ series Ms Marvel and What If… She joins Matthew Sweet from her studio in LA overlooking the Pacific and talks about studying under Milton Babbitt and Nadia Boulanger, scoring for documentaries, attending the Last Night of the Proms and the influence of Benjamin Britten on her score for The Marvels.

This weekend sees the relaunch of Hammer Studios and the release of a new telling of the Dr Jekyllstory, starring Eddie Izzard. Matthew looks back on Hammer's contribution to cinema and to some of the often inventive and even experimental composers who have created music for the studios since its inception in 1934. Hammer Horror - the vibrantly colourful and distinctive engagements with terror that starred the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Films that brought us recurring tales of The Mummy, Dracula and Frankenstein; and music from the likes of James Bernard. But there was so much more to Hammer. The programme includes cues from Doreen Carwithen for Robin Hood, Tristan Carey's early electronic experiments for Quatermass, Franz Reizenstein's parody score for The Mummy, Harry Robinson's musical evocation of Carmilla, and Mario Nascimbene's pioneering work for One Million Years BC. Plus, of course, classic Hammer moments from James Bernard. And Matthew also talks to composer Blair Mowatt about his score for the new Dr Jekyll film.

What was your experience of a first date at the cinema? Presumably you arrived together - but did you leave separately? Matthew Sweet listens to listeners' experiences of their movie first-dates and - rather appropriately - plays great, thrilling and tragic music from the films.

Matthew Sweet's guest this week is the composer George Fenton. His breakthrough came with Richard Attenborough's biopic Gandhi, since then he's scored over 100 films including Cry Freedom, Shadowlands, The Madness of King George, Groundhog Day and The Wind that Shakes The Barley. He speaks to Matthew about his rich and varied career as well as his assocations with directors such as Richard Attenborough, Stephen Frears, Nora Ephron - and Ken Loach, whose latest film, The Old Oak, is released his week.

Of all the genre titles the 'family film' is perhaps the trickiest to define. Its intention, clearly, is to entertain and appeal to the whole family - togetherness. But what are the specific ingredients that make it so? Nevertheless, cinema goers seem to have a good sense of what an advertised family film might have to offer. Matthew Sweet looks back at this category of film, which seemed to spring into existence in America around the 1930s, and he foregrounds the music of some of the best and most defining examples. The programme includes music from Home Alone, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Gulliver's Travels, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, ET - The Extra Terrestrial, Kiki's Delivery Service, Paddington 2 and the Classical Score of the Week - the Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell score for Shrek.

From the Life of Pi to The Jungle Book; His Dark Materials to Wolverine, Matthew Sweet features film music shaped by the fantastical idea of humans as animals. We'll hear of spirit animals, cursed princes, what happens when your parents are turned into pigs (Spirited Away) or your mum becomes a bear (Brave). And we adopt the mantle of The Batman to root out the animal powers of superheroes. The programme also features music from the new release 'Blue Beetle' composed by Bobby Krlic.

Following the release of Greta Gerwig's Barbie, Matthew Sweet considers cinema's fascination with the colour pink. Many films adopt a colour code to establish the mood and tone of the movie. The colour pink in particular has associations with love, innocence, femininity, charm and fun. In this edition of Sound of Cinema, Matthew focuses on music for films which exploit these ideas of pinkness - for films such as Grease, Batman Returns, Steel Magnolias, Legally Blonde, The Devil Wears Prada, Paddington... and Harry Potter.

With the appearance of the eagerly anticipated new Christopher Nolan biopic about Oppenheimer, Matthew Sweet turns his attention to film scores bent on destruction, including Ludwig Goransson's score for the new film. The programme includes music from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, When Worlds Collide, Melancholia, Wandering Earth, Deep Impact, Armageddon, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Rogue One - A Star Wars Story, Star Wars - A New Hope. The Classic Score of the Week is Star Trek II - The Wrath Of Khan.

With the release of the new Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible film - Dead Reckoning Part 1 - Matthew Sweet focuses on stunt scenes in movies. Carefully planned and choreographed stunts have been a part of cinematic entertainment since the start. Matthew offers a selection of music to match the moment. Matthew is joined by Hollywood stunt co-ordinator Simon Crane (World War Z, Men in Black, Quantum of Solace, The World Is Not Enough, Mr & Mrs Smith, Troy, Lara Croft, Saving Private Ryan, Titanic) who talks about the art of stunt acting, some of his favourite stunts and about the role of music in stunt scenes. The programme features music from The Dark Knight Rises, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Ben Hur, Golden Eye, Quantum Of Solace, Lara Croft - Tomb Raider, and Mission: Impossible.

The film Elemental is released this week with a score by Thomas Newman. Matthew looks at how the elements, earth, air, fire and water have been portrayed in movie soundtracks.

With the appearance this week of Wes Anderson's latest film, Asteroid City, Matthew Sweet looks back at one of Hollywood's most distinctive auteur director's films through the music written to serve them. Titles such as the award-winning The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and Fantastic Mr Fox.

For the 400th episode of Sound of Cinema, Matthew Sweet hears from listeners about the films that changed their lives, including West Side Story, On the Waterfront, Maurice and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Jordan Peele films 'Get Out,' 'Us,' and 'Nope' composer Michael Abels discusses his latest project ‘Chevalier', the story of the real life Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the illegitimate son of an enslaved African and a French plantation owner, who rises to heights in French society as a composer and master swordsman. Meanwhile Matthew explores music from Master and Commander, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jane Austen's Emma and asks, how do film composers create a soundtrack to the past?

In a rare interview, the iconic film director David Lynch talks to Matthew Sweet about one of the most celebrated collaborations in cinema history: between Lynch and the film composer Angelo Badalamenti who died at the end of last year.

There has been an explosion in the global popularity of contemporary South Korean culture, often referred to by the Chinese word Hallyu - meaning Korean Wave. - which is also being reflected in a current exhibition at Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Matthew Sweet foregrounds music from highly praised films such as Parasite, Snowpiercer, The Handmaiden and Oldboy and also takes a look at the huge interest in Korean TV music for the streaming services, including cues from Jung Jae-il for Squid Game.

Music for film reflecting cinema's engagement with the idea of an over populated planet prompted by the release this week of Chie Hayakawa's Japanese feature, 'Plan 75', with a score by Jeremie Archache and Christophe Musset. The programme also includes music from 'Inferno' by Hans Zimmer, 'Passengers' by Thomas Newman, 'Idiocracy' by Theodore Shapiro, Miklos Rozsa's 'The World, The Flesh and The Devil', Fred Myrow's 'Soylent Green' as well as cues from 'Cloud Atlas', 'Elysium', 'What Happened To Monday' and Craig Armstromg's 'In Time'. Also in the line up is Alan Silvestri's 'Avengers - Infinity War'. The Classic Score of the Week is Jerry Goldsmith's masterly music for 'Logan's Run' from 1976.

With the screen adaptation of Rachel Joyce's novel 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' out this week, scored by folk musician Sam Lee, Matthew Sweet looks at cinema's engagement with the folk tradition.

Matthew Sweet marks Earth Day with a look at screen music composed to celebrate the natural world. He is joined by composer Sarah Class, who has written many scores foregrounding environmental issues and for natural history documentaries, and is one of the chosen composers commissioned to write a new piece for the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla. Sarah talks about her approach to writing for wildlife films. As well as music by Sarah the programme features scores from Hans Zimmer, George Fenton, Frank Churchill, Alex Wurman, Harry Gregson-Williams and Éric Serra.

With the release this week of Chris McKay's new film Renfield, Matthew Sweet looks back at the many appearances of Dracula on our screens and at the music the count has inspired. The programme looks back to some of the earliest cinematic manifestations of Dracula, from the 1920s, including the silent classic 'Nosferatu' and brings things right up to date with scores from Wojciech Kilar, Popol Vuh, Dan Jones, Philip Glass, James Bernard, Mark Isham, John Williams and Marco Beltrami.

John Debney, composer of scores for films such as Elf, Jetsons: The Movie, Hocus Pocus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, joins Matthew Sweet for a look back on his prodigious Hollywood career. John has a long association with the Disney studios and he explains to Matthew the extraordinary story of how his Disney career came about, of writing music for films such Bruce Almighty and The Passion of the Christ, and about his latest score for a new film inspired by an American sporting hero.

On Oscars weekend, Matthew looks back on the 70th Academy Award Ceremony, to date the most watched ever Oscars. What was it about the films of 1997 that really caught the public imagination? Featuring classic scores from James Horner (Titanic), Hans Zimmer (As Good As It Gets), Edward Shearmur (The Wings of the Dove), Jerry Goldsmith (Air Force One) and Michael Nyman (Gattaca).

Mark Mothersbaugh's score for the new film Cocaine Bear is the inspiration for this week's programme with Matthew Sweet, who looks at music for films with animals behaving badly. From dogs in an aerial dogfight courtesy of Wallace & Gromit to carnivorous mutant lambs in Black Sheep. Not to mention giant ants, a rogue crocodile and a tornado full of sharks. It's going to get messy.

With the Baftas this weekend and the Oscars imminent, Matthew Sweet meets the German composer/pianist Volker Bertelmann (aka "Hauschka"), the nominated composer in the Best Score category for both the Baftas and the Oscars this year, for the remake of the classic First World War inspired 'All Quiet On The Western Front'. Matthew talks to Volker about his fascination with the prepared piano and about working with "found sound" in his scores. He discusses his long-time collaboration with composer Dustin O'Halloran and his scores for 'Lion', 'Adrift', 'The Old Guard', 'Summerland', 'Ammonite', 'Against The Ice', 'Stowaway', 'War Sailor' and 'All Quiet On The Western Front'.

Matthew is joined by award-winning Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir to talk about her screen music, including her scores for Tár and Women Talking.

Matthew Sweet explores listeners' experiences of going to the cinema with their Dads and contemplates Steven Spielberg's new autobiographical movie Fabelmans. Other classic 'Dad films' whose scores feature this week's mix include A Bridge Too Far, Zulu, E.T. and Superman.

With the current release of Justin Hurwitz's new score for 'Babylon' in cinemas, Matthew Sweet looks at the theme of decadence in the movies through examples of its music. The programme includes notes by Debbie Wiseman for 'Wilde', Jen Anderson for 'Pandora's Box'; 'Caligula' by Bruno Nicolai, Nino Rota's 'La Dolce Vita', Jonny Greenwood's 'Inherent Vice' and Dustin O'Halloran's 'Marie Antoinette'. Philippe Sarde scores with 'La Grande Bouffe' and Craig Armstrong with 'The Great Gatsby'. The programme also features music by John Barry and Georgio Moroder, and the Classic Score of the week is Jerry Goldsmith's 'LA Confidential'. To round things off, a decadent helping of 'Babylon'.

During the period of New Year resolutions Matthew Sweet looks at music for films which offer the opportunity of a "second chance", including 'It's a Wonderful Life', 'The Artist', 'The Pursuit of Happyness', 'Soul', 'Living', 'Mrs Jones Goes To Paris', 'Groundhog Day' and 'Star Trek IV - The Journey Home'. Matthew also focuses on music composed for the various screen versions of Charles Dickens's perennial seasonal favourite 'A Christmas Carol' and marking the 30th anniversary of 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' - his Classic Score of the Week - he talks to songwriter Paul Williams about composing music for the film and for the Muppets.

With the appearance this week of James Cameron's long awaited sequel to Avatar - The Way Of Water - Matthew Sweet meets its composer, Simon Franglen, to discuss his music for this and for other films. Simon talks about his early days working in film with John Barry, about his work with Howard Shore on the David Fincher crime thriller Se7en, and about his collaboraton with James Horner on Titanic , The Magnificent Seven, and Avatar. Simon explains how he took on responsibilty for the music for the Avatar franchise following James Horner's tragic death in 2015 and how he has set about adding to its very specific soundworld in his the score for The Way Of Water.

Monsters, spooky atmosphere, terrifying effects, but horror is also a genre exploring ideas about relationships, as Matthew Sweet explains with music for the romance of horror. The programme features cues from classic Hammer Horror by Harry Robertson alongside Wojciech Kilar's 'Bram's Stoker's Dracula'. Also in the programme is some of Roy Budd's score for 'Phantom Of the Opera', some of Maurice Jarre's score for 'Ghost', James Wong's 'A Chinese Ghost Story', Georges Auric's 'La Belle et la Bete', Alan Menken's 'Beauty and the Beast', Carter Burwell's 'Twilight' and Richard Wells' 'Being Human'. And Matthew meets Academy Award-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who discuss their latest score for the new Luca Guadagnino film 'Bones And All'.

With the remastered cinematic and digital re-release of The Draughtsman's Contract, marking forty years since it first appeared, Matthew Sweet looks back on the film music career of the man who created its much-loved score, Michael Nyman. He charts his long association with director Peter Greenaway, his foray into the Hollywood, and his work with European and experimental cinema. The programme features music from The Falls, The Ogre, A La Folie, Gattaca, The Piano, Carrington, Ravenous, The Libertine, Wonderland, A Zed and Two Noughts, The Cook The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Drowning by Numbers, Prospero's Books, and The Draughtsman's Contract.

Matthew Sweet talks with the wildly successful, classically trained Dutch composer Tom Holkenborg, a.k.a. Junkie XL, a star of club electronica, video games and film scores. Tom talks about looking to composition masters for influence, making brand new instruments and writing 95 melodies to find the perfect one for his latest film, Three Thousand Years of Longing.

The world of the convent has given rise to some interesting and varied cinema - Black Narcissus, Agnes of God, Two Mules for Sister Sara, and not least, this week's new release, Prey for the Devil, a new horror from director Daniel Stamm with music by Nathan Barr. Matthew Sweet looks back at nuns on the screen, lavishly illustrated with the sound of music.

Matthew Sweet in conversation with Lorne Balfe, the prolific, Grammy-winning composer of films ranging from Mission Impossible: Fallout to Churchill. Lorne talks about working with Hans Zimmer, how dyslexia shaped him as a composer, and the day Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson turned up at a recording session.

Vaughan-Williams was very progressive and open minded with regard to the role of the film composer and the merit of the film score. He was keen to “try his hand” at composing for film in the 1940s not least because he thought it would fulfil his need to play a “useful role” during the war years. He wrote his first score for Powell and Pressburger's propaganda 1941 film ‘The 49th Parallel' and went on to score another ten films, including the celebrated and ambitious ‘Scott of the Antarctic'. At a time when writing music for film was regarded merely a serviceable and functional undertaking, Vaughan-Williams maintained a characteristic open mind. He considered the comparatively new art form to be rich with potential and could foresee a time when perhaps the symbiotic relationship between music and picture might be creatively and artistically enhanced. His score for Scott of the Antarctic went on to form the basis of his seventh symphony. In this special edition of Sound of Cinema marking this year's Vaughan Williams anniversary, Matthew Sweet examines the composer's personal philosophy on music for film. He features key music moments from the rich legacy the composer left the cinema, considers VW's decision making when matching music to image, and puts him in context with the work of his British contemporaries. The programme is rich in examples from the composer's music for the cinema.

Matthew Sweet looks back on the story of widescreen cinema, on some of the films designed especially for it and looks at the impact that the idea has had on film scores.

With the release of the Florence Pugh film Don't Worry Darling featuring a new score by John Powell, Matthew Sweet looks at film music inspired by those disturbing types of community that conceal awkward secrets. The programme features muisc from 'The League of Gentlemen Apocalypse', 'The Most Dangerous Game', 'Get Out', 'Vivarium', 'The Truman Show'; 'Pleasantville', 'Murder By Death', The Stepford Wives', 'Eyes Wide Shut', 'Midsommar', 'the Wicker Man' and 'Don't Worry Darling'. There's also the chance to hear music from Carter Burwell's new score for 'Catherine Called Birdy'.

Lalo Schifrin, composer of classic jazz-infused scores for Mission Impossible, Bullitt and Dirty Harry, turned 90 this year. Matthew Sweet looks back on his career and music. As well as the afore-mentioned films, the programme features music from Cool Hand Luke, Enter The Dragon, The Fox, The Four Musketeers, Rush Hour 2, The Amityville Horror and Tango.

With the release of a new film inspired by the art of wine tasting and the true story of a Zimbabwean team of professional sommeliers, 'Blind Ambition', Matthew considers film and film music under the wider context of the connoisseur. Who are the great on-screen arbiters of merit and taste? And he talks to the Australian composer Helena Czajka, about her score for 'Blind Ambition'. The programme includes music from Sideways, Bottle Shock, The Monuments Men, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Best Offer, The Leopard, Goldfinger, Phantom Thread, La La Land, Like Water For Chocolate, and Blind Ambition.

What was it about the 1980s setting that proved so distinctive and right for the hit television series Stranger Things? Matthew Sweet reflects on the spirit of the decade as told through the music of its films. The programme includes music from The Goonies, The Breakfast Club, Wall Street, Witness, Driving Miss Daisy, The Final Countdown, War Games, The Terminator and Gremlins. The Classic Score of the Week is Jerry Goldsmith's music for Twilight Zone: The Movie.