Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Benjamin Wallfisch's excellent orchestral score for drama "SUMMER IN FEBRUARY" out soon

Deutsche Grammophon To Release Summer In February Original Motion Picture Soundtrack By Composer Benjamin Wallfisch, Featuring Pianist Yuja Wang, Available January 14  



(Santa Monica, CA) January 7, 2014  - Summer in February, directed by Christopher Menaul and starring Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Dominic Cooper (The Devil's Double) and Emily Browning (Sleeping Beauty), is scheduled for a U.S. theatrical release on January 17, 2014. The movie's soundtrack is composed by Benjamin Wallfisch (Hours, The Thirteenth Tale, Desert Dancer) and features pianist Yuja Wang as soloist. The soundtrack will be released in the U.S. by Deutsche Grammophon on January 14, 2014.

The score for Summer in February was previously released in Europe to critical acclaim, including Classic FM - "Wallfisch's lush score is sumptuously romantic and atmospheric," and Film Score Monthly - "A gorgeous listening experience." The score garnered composer Benjamin Wallfisch his third nomination at the 2013 World Soundtrack Awards and was recently awarded 'Best Score - Special Feature' in the 2013 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

Yuja Wang - one of the most virtuosic pianists on the current Deutsche Grammophon roster - is joined by The Chamber Orchestra of London conducted by the composer, with additional solos by violinist Jack Liebeck and cellist Raphael Wallfisch. Click here to watch a video about the soundtrack and recording.

A sweeping romance set at a bohemian artist colony on the picturesque coasts of pre-war England, Summer in February is based on the true story of painter Sir Alfred Munnings (Dominic Cooper) and his blue-blood best friend Gilbert Evans (Dan Stevens). Born into a working-class family, Munnings rises to become one of the premiere British artists of his time, winning the affection of aristocratic beauty Florence Carter-Wood (Emily Browning). But when Gilbert falls for Florence as well, a love triangle emerges with tragic consequences. Tribeca Film will release the movie in the U.S. beginning January 7, 2014 on cable/telco and satellite video-on-demand and digital platforms followed by a theatrical release beginning on January 17, 2014. Click here to learn more about the movie. http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001pSPQImcoUgcrnB_7OPyDXV0hag7uZa6FYxMnsPkYNWdVxGm6G3c6TRXdWy2xXveiIWHOXGUtLlsmR9G-I2Zo4dZQ6SbEUQ6DxD-F_Qy8C4LN51jUV5svq4dK-FOWwnuV70Z0a0OGIL0Tfs3B0SnG0pcun31RuheISGuG3S27RvVYdz3Qlhbs9-OZVHUX2mWZcmAiCxXR0im6jx0EN_MpCVTkjo-Vxzkd&c=EuRtkZzT8CVRudpxuW-D-cfaNpvW6eOb35NGkxHpmMUKxXnuVgeYDA==&ch=IrXAZ_orJMLPYRNBW-2DwXPxf8RSdcySlqmHpSDVQP0Dwx7YatYhew==

Composer Benjamin Wallfisch's work in film has earned him multiple international awards and nominations, including an Ivor Novello Award Nomination for Best Original Film Score 2009 (for Rupert Wyatt's 'The Escapist'), a nomination in the 2009 Emmy® Awards and three nominations as 'Discovery of The Year' in the 2005, 2008 and 2013 World Soundtrack Awards. He made his debut as film composer at the age of 24, scoring Thomas Vinterberg's 'Dear Wendy', which earned him a nomination for 'Best Original Score' in the 2006 Danish Film Academy Awards. Wallfisch has since gone on to work on over 40 feature films, including Tribeca Films' romantic drama 'Summer In February' starring Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) and the Lionsgate suspense thriller 'Hours' starring Paul Walker (Fast and Furious) and directed by Eric Heisserer. Recent projects include the Relativity Media drama 'Desert Dancer' starring Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) and the BBC original movie, 'The Thirteenth Tale', produced by David Heyman (Gravity, Harry Potter), adapted for television by Academy Award-winning writer Christopher Hampton (Atonement), directed by James Kent (The White Queen), and starring Vanessa Redgrave. Wallfisch is also known for orchestrating and conducting Dario Marianelli's Oscar® and Golden Globe® winning score for 'Atonement' and the Oscar® and Golden Globe® nominated score for 'Anna Karenina'. He is also in demand as concert conductor and composer having conducted major orchestras around the world including the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House. Recent concert commissions include those for the London Philharmonic and LA Chamber Orchestra. For more information on Benjamin Wallfisch click here.

www.deutschegrammophon.com

pr through TopDollarPR

Friday, November 29, 2013

Ilan Eshkeri's new score: 47 Ronin

The much hyped, expensive production (See the trailers and articles about it) is getting a score by Eshkeri, belonging in the RC team and who has shown some very good signs so far. Let's wait a bit and hear what this score will be like. Below you'll find some details about the score release.


from varese, who's releasing it:

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
47 RONIN
Music Composed by 
Ilan Eshkeri
(Coriolanus, Kick-Ass)

Keanu Reeves makes an explosive return to action-adventure in 47 RONIN. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, 47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honor to their people. Driven from their homes and dispersed across the land, this band of ronin must seek the help of Kai (Reeves) — a half-breed they once rejected — as they fight their way across a savage world of mythic beasts, shape-shifting witchcraft and wondrous terrors.

As this exiled, enslaved outcast becomes their most deadly weapon, he will transform into the hero who inspires this band of outnumbered rebels to seize eternity. Composer Ilan Eshkeri’s (Kick-Ass) epic score offers a powerful and exotic mix of cello, percussion and flute with symphony orchestra, capturing all the color, action, emotion and drama of the story.

Universal Pictures will open 47 RONIN nationwide on December 25.
Varese Sarabande Catalog # 302 067 246 8
Release Date: 12/24/13

Track List:
1. Oishi’s Tale (6:44)
2. Kirin Hunt (3:03)
3. Resentment (1:41)
4. The Witch’s Plan (2:29)
5. Ako (2:13)
6. Shogun (2:10)
7. Tournament (3:45)
8. Bewitched (3:36)
9. Assano Seppuku (2:41)
10. Dutch Island Fugue (2:05)
11. Reunited Ronin (3:11)
12. Tengu (6:29)
13. Shrine Ambush (2:11)
14. The Witch’s Lie (3:19)
15. Kira’s Wedding Quartet (4:32)
16. Palace Battle (3:11)
17. The Witch Dragon (3:37)
18. Return To Ako (2:24)
19. Shogun’s Sentence (2:02)
20. Mika And Kai (2:47)
21. Seppuku (3:45)
22. 47 Ronin (2:43)

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Carlo Siliotto's wonderful score for "Instructions not included"

Italian Composer Carlo Siliotto Creates Affective Score for Eugenio Derbez's Heart Warming Family Comedy Instructions Not Included

Director Attributes Film's Wide-Appeal to the Score's Character-like Presence



(Los Angeles, CA) November 26, 2013—Italian composer Carlo Siliotto supplies the musical heart to Eugenio Derbez's feature directorial debut Instructions Not Included, which has touched mass audiences becoming the highest-grossing Spanish language film in the U.S. and an all-time hit in its native country Mexico. Instructions Not Included follows the life of Acapulco playboy Valentin (Derbez) whose life is turned upside down when one of his girlfriends, Julie (Jessica Lindsey), leaves him with a baby he supposedly conceived. Valentin pursues Julie to the U.S., but instead settles down in Hollywood, becoming a highly coveted stuntman and providing a life for his beloved daughter, Maggie (Loreto Peralta). However, Julie turns up one day, seeking custody. Inspired by such films as Charlie Chaplin's The Kid and Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful, Derbez tapped Siliotto for his talent to bring euphonious emotion to dramatic scenes.

"Carlo's music has a starring role in Instructions Not Included. I've seen so many people touched and moved by this movie and a lot of that has to with the music," exclaims Derbez who became acquainted with Siliotto's film music on La Misma Luna, in which the director previously starred.

For Instructions Not Included, Siliotto centered the score around three main recurring themes: "Mama's Letters" ("Cartas de Mama"), "Maggie Meets Her Mother" ("Maggie conoce a Mama") and "Johnny Bravo." In regards to the "Mama" cues, Siliotto explains that it was vital for him to capture "the theme of Maggie's separation from her mother as well as the strong relationship between Valentin and his daughter." Siliotto aurally paints key moments in the film with crescendos and in his use of a 70-piece orchestra comprised of strings, piano and clarinet. "The theme of 'Johnny Bravo' based on Valentin's tough-loving father is presented in 10-different shapes in the film and is used for the more action-driven scenes," adds Siliotto.

Italian-native Siliotto is a Golden Globe lauded composer, both in the U.S. and Italy, with respective original score nominations for the film Nomad the Warrior and The Flight of the Innocent. He studied guitar, violin and composition at the Conservatory of Frosinone and soon became a founding member of the popular '70s Italian folk band Canzoniere del Lazio. His career as a composer, orchestrator and violinist, both with Italian artists and symphonic orchestras soon led to a career in film scoring, working with such popular Italian directors as Maurizio Nichetti, Carlo Lizzani and Carlo Carlei. It was Siliotto's work on Carlei's MGM title Fluke that bridged the composer over to the U.S. Carlo Siliotto has scored over 100 films throughout the world including the Lionsgate's film The Punisher, The Ramen Girl starring the late Brittany Murphy and the upcoming bio-pic Vivaldi starring Alfred Molina, Brian Cox and Neve Campbell.

(pr piece through Costa Communications)

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

DECCA RECORDS' QUEEN OF CARTHAGE (Brian Byrne) (2013)

Make sure you don't miss out on Brian Byrne's beautiful score for Queen of Carthage,  from the producers of Riverdance heartbeat of home. 



Here's the official pr piece: 
(October 22, 2013– Los Angeles, CA) – Decca Records has released the QUEEN OF CARTHAGE – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack via iTunes.  The soundtrack features the original score composed by Brian Byrne (ALBERT NOBBS), who also composed the music for the worldwide production from the producers of Riverdance HEARTBEAT OF HOME.  In addition to the original score, Byrne wrote the haunting end title track “Waltz With Me Under The Sun,” performed by Kristina Train.  Also featured on the album is “Dido’s Lament,” performed by Danielle DeNiese.

“Kristina Train is probably one of the finest young singers around just now. Although she's has youth on her side she sounds like a classic soul voice that always was,” said Byrne. “The score is mostly based on the melody for the song ‘Waltz With Me Under the Sun’. That was the first thing I wrote for the film and it just seemed to work as a theme throughout.”  Byrne’s wife Kasey wrote the song’s lyrics.

QUEEN OF CARTHAGE stars Shiloh Fernandez (who also co-wrote the screenplay) and Oscar nominated actress Keisha Castle-Hughes. The film follows an American Drifter discovers a New Zealand Singer and develops and obsession for him. The soundtrack features the RTE Concert Orchestra, Kristina Train and Danielle DeNiese.

In addition to the song performed by Kristina Train, the album features “Dido’s Lament,” by Henry Purcell.  “Mardana Mayginnes (the director) told me that the only music he listened to whilst writing the script for QUEEN OF CARTHAGE was ‘Dido's Lament’ by Purcell,” he explained. “Although the lament does not appear in the film, I knew from the outset that a classical soprano would be part of the orchestration palette. I had worked with Danielle DeNiese on a classical album (Tales From The Walled City) that I released through Decca US. Danielle was the natural choice to perform on the soundtrack.”  DeNiese also performs as the featured female vocalist on the score tracks, representing the voice of Amos’ sister.

Byrne is no stranger to working with vocalists.  He has collaborated with such international luminaries as Katy Perry, Bono, Barbra Streisand, Lisa Stansfield, Van Morrison, The Corrs, Sinead O’Connor, Alan Bergman, Ronan Tynan, Luis Miguel, Vince Gill, Gladys Knight, to name a few. He toured with Diane Warren, arranged a song for Sex and the City 2 and played piano on Liza Minnelli’s cover of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it).”

Golden Globe nominated composer Brian Byrne moved to Los Angeles from Ireland in July 2003 to expand his career as a film and television composer. Since then, Brian has consistently worked as a composer, conductor, songwriter, arranger and pianist – in the US and in Europe. Brian recently won two World Soundtrack Awards for his music to the song and score for the movie ALBERT NOBBS.
From huge orchestral scores to minimal ensemble compositions, Brian has written music for films in many genres. He won the Irish Film and Television Award for his original score for the Irish Sci-Fi comedy ZONAD, directed by John Carney. He then scored an indie drama called THE GOOD DOCTOR, starring Orlando Bloom and ALBERT NOBBS starring Glenn Close. Brian’s previous film work includes conducting and arranging the scores to Jim Sheridan’s Oscar-nominated IN AMERICA and Kristen Sheridan’s drama, DISCO PIGS.
Byrne’s recent projects include HEARTBEAT OF HOME.  Created by the Producers and Director of Riverdance, HEARTBEAT OF HOME is a music and dance spectacular featuring the vibrant, dynamic components of traditional Irish, Latin and Afro-Cuban music and dance. The world-class cast of thirty-eight includes a ten-piece band creating a new and electrifying sound written by award-winning, Golden Globe nominated composer Brian Byrne.  The show employs high-definition, cutting edge 3D projection technology and has an engaging narrative structure.
The QUEEN OF CARTHAGE-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is available digitally on Decca Records.  Also available from Decca Records will be the HEARTBEAT OF HOME (date TBA), which will be staged in the United States in early 2014.
 
More info on the composer at his official website at http://brianbyrnecomposer.com/

Friday, September 27, 2013

MARK McKENZIE - the ultimate life (2013)

Composer Mark McKenzie tells Symphonic Tale in The Ultimate Life

In theaters now



Score Album available on Varèse Sarabande Records
Check it out here: http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-1124/Ultimate-Life,-The/Detail

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 27, 2013)– Award winning composer Mark McKenzie returns to score The Ultimate Life, directed by Michael Landon Jr. Based on the novels by Jim Stovall, the film is a prequel and sequel to the film The Ultimate Gift, also scored by McKenzie. The composer recorded the score for The Ultimate Life with a full orchestra. The film is in select theaters with the score album available on Varèse Sarabande Records.

The Ultimate Life continues the story of Jason Stevens after surviving the quest he was sent on by his grandfather. Now... that gift, which includes managing a billion dollar foundation, is being challenged by his family. With Jason’s assets being seized in a courtroom battle and his relationship with Alexia growing increasingly complicated, he sets out on a quest to discover what it truly means to fulfill his destiny.

McKenzie has a reputation for delivering scores that not only service the needs of the film, but also play outside the theatre. Two years ago, McKenzie’s heartfelt and uplifting score for the faith based film, The Greatest Miracle (El Gran Milagro) was performed live in Madrid, Spain in front of thousands as part of World Youth Day with Pope Benedict XVI in attendance. Reviewed as one of the top scores of the year, McKenzie also received the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Score for The Greatest Miracle (El Gran Milagro).

Mark McKenzie is one of a small number of composers working in Hollywood who orchestrates every note he composes. Although McKenzie has primarily scored independent features, he has garnered a reputation for the thematic richness, beauty, and warmth of his scores. The talented composer/orchestrator has collaborated with virtually every major film composer over the past 20 years including John Barry, Danny Elfman, John Williams, and the late Jerry Goldsmith.

McKenzie’s film credits as both a composer and an orchestrator have totaled more than $6 billion in the box office. His extensive list of film orchestration credits include the films Spider-Man, Nightmare Before Christmas, Good Will Hunting and the Academy® Award- winning Dances With Wolves. He also composed and orchestrated Francis Ford Coppola's My Family / Mi Familia. McKenzie recently wrote new, original music for the opening and closing sequences for the award-winning television anthology Hallmark Hall of Fame series, the longest running television serial in history. Additionally, collaborating with composers Martin O’Donnell, Michael Salvatori and Sir Paul McCartney, McKenzie orchestrated a 50 minute symphonic orchestral piece for Bungie Inc.’s upcoming video game following Halo.

(press release official : Costa Comm)

Howard Shore's new score release for 2013: "JIMMY P"

CD version here:



Info: 
Jimmy P. (OST) - Original Score
Howard Shore

CD info:
Audio CD (30 Sep 2013)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Howe Records
ASIN: B00E51KL3G

Also available as an mp3 album:

Written for the Dover Quartet with chamber orchestra, Howard Shore's score for Arnaud Desplechin's Jimmy P. balances the film's themes of memory and introspection. The film is an adaptation of George Devereux's book "Reality and Dream: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian," which stars Benicio Del Toro and Mathieu Amalric, and follows a Native American soldier aka Jimmy Picard (Del Toro) who suffers psychologically in the aftermath World War II. Working together, Devereux (Amalric) and Jimmy P. form a bond of friendship amidst their professional therapeutic relationship.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

ATLI ÖRVARRSON to score "Chicago Fire" season 2

COMPOSER ATLI ÖRVARRSON’S SCORE BRINGS THE HEAT TO
CHICAGO FIRE



Season 2 Premiers Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 10/9c on NBC


(West Hollywood, CA)- September 24, 2013—Composer Atli Örvarsson provides the adrenaline-pumping score for the NBC hit drama Chicago Fire, as Season 2 premiers on Tuesday, September 24. The season beings with Firehouse 51 taking on new blood and new rules, while Severide faces a dangerous arsonist. Beginning his career working with veteran TV composer Mike Post, Örvarsson contributed music to the hit dramas NYPD Blue and Law & Order. His musical contributions made an impression on Law & Order executive producer, Dick Wolf, who selected Örvarsson to score Chicago Fire. The show ended its first season with an audience of 6.9 million viewers.

To match the high-octane, high-stress world of Firehouse 51, Örvarsson crafts a score to match the tension of the show. Dark droning undertones and sporadically heavy percussion keep you on your toes while soft piano and string melodies float above the rumbling backdrop. Using both digital and analog instruments, Örvarsson modernizes the score while highlighting the frantic lives of our everyday heroes.

Atli Örvarsson’s versatility and skill combine with his Icelandic roots to produce an individualized and compelling style that contributes to his success as a musician and composer. Prior to bringing his talent to Hollywood, Örvarsson earned three platinum and two gold records as a member of the Icelandic band Salin hans Jons mins. Educated at Berklee College of Music, he arrived in Los Angeles and began working alongside veteran TV composer Mike Post on projects including NYPD Blue and the Law and Order franchise. Örvarsson soon caught the attention of highly renowned composer Hans Zimmer, who extended an invitation to Örvarsson to contribute to Zimmer’s team at Remote Control Studios. In addition to composing, Örvarsson’s credits include orchestrating and writing additional music for Hollywood blockbusters, from Iron Man and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, to Angels and Demons and The Simpsons Movie.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Bear McCreary wins his first EMMY award for "Da Vinci's Demons"



On September 15, 2013, composer Bear McCreary earned his first Emmy® Award for the Main Title Theme for DA VINCI’S DEMONS at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.  McCreary had been nominated one previous time in the same category for HUMAN TARGET.

After he won, he was quoted:

“To be nominated alongside some of the most exciting composers working in the industry was, itself, a tremendous honor.  I am totally overwhelmed by this win,” 

McCreary credits his collaboration with show creator David S. Goyer as to what led to his first Emmy Award win.

Adding:

“I must share this award with series creator David S. Goyer.  When I played him my first demo for the main title, he gave me the greatest feedback a producer can bestow.  He said the music was too short!” “The theme was so catchy, he wanted to hear more of it.  So, he re-cut his first episode and nearly doubled the length of the Main Title sequence, giving me the opportunity to expand on my ideas.  Now that the Main Title Theme and Main Title Design have both won Emmys, I think its safe to say that Goyer had the right idea!”

McCreary’s sweeping orchestral score for DA VINCI’S DEMONS was meticulously researched to accurately represent the time period, without being bound to it.  His score combines full orchestra, Renaissance instrumentation, choir and ethnic soloists with the renowned Calder Quartet and surging contemporary synthesis.

“For DA VINCI’S DEMONS, I looked to the real-life Leonardo for inspiration.  He famously wrote backwards and forwards, so I decided to do (try) the same thing with his theme!” said McCreary.  “It was a nice idea at the time, but proved rather difficult to produce anything with emotional meaning. It took a while, but ultimately, I think the end result works beautifully.  It's emotional, and fits Leonardo's character beautifully.  Yet, at the same time, it feels like a palindrome.”

It’s this sort of out-of-the-box thinking that led WIRED Magazine to call McCreary a “Secret Weapon” in a recent issue.  His unique combination of atypical instrumental background (he is a professional accordionist) with rigorous classical training prepared him to compose for disparate genres.  By the age of 24, McCreary was launched into pop culture history with his groundbreaking score to Syfy’s hit series Battlestar Galactica, for which he composed “the most innovative music on TV today” (Variety). It “fits the action so perfectly, it’s almost devastating: a sci-fi score like no other” (NPR).  Io9.com declared Bear McCreary one of the Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of all time, listing him alongside legends John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann.

This fall McCreary’s music can be heard on the new series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. McCreary continues to write for the television show The Walking Dead.  Recently he lent his talents to Syfy and Trion World’s groundbreaking entertainment experience, Defiance, a combined launch of a MMO videogame. His film projects include Europa Report and Knights of Badassdom.  His other credits include critically acclaimed scores for series such as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Eureka, Human Target, and The Cape. His videogame credits include SOCOM 4 and Dark Void.

Check out more on his official site:
www.bearmccreary.com

Based on PR from Cinemedia

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Atli Örvarsson - Colette (2013)




MovieScore Media has a new major release out: composed by acclaimed Icelandic Hollywood composer Atli Örvarsson (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Chicago Fire), the original score for Czech/Slovakian WW2 drama Colette is a classical, thematic work for symphony orchestra that will attract fans of film music in the tradition of great and romantic soundtracks with an central european flavor, such as Schindler’s List and The Pianist.

Örvarsson’s score features several strong themes, including an unforgettable love theme. Recorded beautifully in Prague, the album also features exciting action tracks and darker material underscoring the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps.

Here's the cd info:

MMS13009/KRONCD025 • COLETTE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Music Composed by ATLI ÖRVARSSON
Release date (digital): September 10, 2013
Release date (CD): October 8, 2013

TRACK LIST

1 Colette 3:35
2 The Diamond 3:01
3 Workshop of Evil 3:10
4 Merci Mon Amour 2:18
5 Crematorium 2:44
6 Beautiful Brown Eyes 1:58
7 Free As a Bird 1:53
8 Praying for Willie 2:23
9 Triangle of Love and Hate 2:47
10 Planning the Escape 2:10
11 Kanada 2:45
12 Change of Heart 2:37
13 Cossacks to the Rescue 2:52
14 The Escape 2:41
15 Outside the Church 2:35
16 Colette: End Titles 2:44

Updated press release as of 11-9-2013

The score release (CD/DIGITAL) comes via:

moviescore media sweden
Smedjegatan 5D • 41113 Göteborg • Sweden
Web http://www.moviescoremedia.com • E-mail info@moviescoremedia.com
Tel +46-704-135113 • VAT no SE711108465801

MOVIESCORE MEDIA/KRONOS RECORDS RELEASES COLETTE
BY MORTAL INSTRUMENTS COMPOSER ATLI ÖRVARSSON
GÖTEBORG, Sweden, September 10, 2013 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Preview the album here:
http://moviescoremedia.com/colette-atli-orvarsson/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/colette-original-motion-picture/id695058714
http://open.spotify.com/album/5jdWC1EnGw5rwYg2gA32b7

MovieScore Media/Kronos Records has released Atli Örvarsson’s powerful score for Colette, Milan Cieslar’s film adaptation of the novella A Girl from Antwerp by Pulitzer Prize nominated writer Arnošt Lustig. The film tells the story of an unlikely love affair that blossoms between Willie and a Belgian Jewess named Colette. The torrid romance is overshadowed by the Nazi occupation even though it’s very likely that the star-crossed lovers would have never met had it not been for World War II. Colette opens theatrically in the Czech Republic on September 12, 2013, and is expected to get international distribution later in the year.

The music for Colette was written by Hollywood composer Atli Örvarsson whose other current films include The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013), based on the bestselling books by Cassandra Clare, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). The Icelandic-born musician began his film scoring career at Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Studios by contributing to the soundtracks of blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2006) and The Simpsons Movie (2008); his more recent scoring credits include The Eagle (2011), Evidence (2013) and A Single Shot (2013; available from MovieScore Media/Kronos).

Although he is well-versed in the world of major Hollywood productions, Colette provided Örvarsson with the chance to write music he had never done before. “When the opportunity to score this film came about, I realized that I didn't really have a good piece to send to the director as a demo” recalls the composer. “The first thing I wrote was the so-called Birkenau theme. Milan Cieslar really liked it a lot but he wanted to hear a love theme as well and, while I've composed a few of those, I had never written one that was suitable for this film. So I wrote that as well and sent to him before I was even hired to do the film! So, in truth, I've never demoed as much for any project but I really wanted to do this film so it was all worth it!”

The result is a score that is described by MovieScore Media’s producer as an “epic, romantic score with classical music sensibilities”. “We are very proud to release a score that shows a different side to Atli Örvarsson’s musical identity, a hugely talented composer who seem to be able to pull off basically anything,” said Mikael Carlsson who also is referring to the other current release by Örvarsson, the largely atonal “A Single Shot”.

MovieScore Media and its sub-label Screamworks Records have released over 200 soundtrack albums since the launch of the company in 2006. Among the many acclaimed albums in the catalogue are soundtracks for Let the Right One In (Johan Soderqvist),Pandorum (Michl Britsch), Centurion (Ilan Eshkeri), Conquest 1453 (Benjamin Wallfisch), four volumes of Merlin (Rob Lane et al), Triangle (Christian Henson), Submarine (Andrew Hewitt), JCVD (Gast Waltzing), Black Death (Christian Henson), In a Better World (Johan Söderqvist) and The Awakening (Daniel Pemberton). In its ‘Discovery Collection’, MovieScore Media has released world premiere recordings of scores by esteemed composers such as Michael Kamen, Basil Poledouris, Patrick Doyle and Dario Marianelli.

In 2012, an album released by MovieScore Media’s sub-label Screamworks Records, The Shrine (music by Ryan Shore), was nominated for a Grammy Award in the ‘Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media’ category. MovieScore Media has been nominated to the International Film Music Critics Association Award for ‘Film Music Record Label of the Year’ six years in a row.

Kronos Records has been releasing quality film music since 2009 and has music composed by film music legends such as Akira Ifukube, Francesco De Masi, Carlo Rustichelli, Piero Piccioni, and George Fenton in its catalogue. Much like MovieScore Media, Kronos is also active in the field of discovering and promoting new talented composers, such as André Matthias, Jorge Aliaga and Kristian Sensini.

All Moviescore Media / Kronos Records CDs are distributed by MVD Entertainment (USA), RSK Entertainment (UK), Edel (Germany) and Suburban (Benelux) as well as via soundtrack retailers worldwide. MovieScore Media's albums are available digitally from all major digital platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Google Play and Spotify.

LORNE BALFE HEADLINES FESTIVAL, WINS AWARD IN SPAIN


Lorne Earns Prestigious GoldSpirit Award for Best Video Game Soundtrack 2012 
With Assassin’s Creed III



(Sept. 9, 2013- Fuengirola, Spain) Composer Lorne Balfe (Salinger, Assassins Creed III video game) took the Spanish crowd by storm!  On September 7th he headlined the Playfest concert with a 30 minute set of his music including a sneak peak at the music for the upcoming release of BEYOND: Two Souls, and his now award winning music for Assassin’s Creed III.  After the performance, the organizers of the festival presented Balfe with the prestigious GoldSpirit Award for Best Video Game Soundtrack 2012.

"I am so proud to have won the GoldSpirit Award for Assassin's Creed III,” said Balfe.  “It means especially a lot to have been given the award by the fans and to have the game's music recognized at such a fantastic festival as Playfest with a very special concert was a wonderful experience. The score to Assassin's Creed has been a fantastic part of my life and so it was a wonderful achievement for the music to be recognized."

Balfe is not only a highly sought-after video game composer -- he is a Grammy award winning and BAFTA nominated film composer from Inverness, Scotland.  Lorne is known for composing the scores to the Dreamworks’ animation Megamind, and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed III.  Balfe earned his first Emmy nomination for the BBC and Sundance Channel mini-series Restless.

Balfe’s recent solo projects have kept him hard at work in the UK, composing for Ironclad, The Sweeney, and the upcoming films, Not Another Happy Ending (starring Karen Gillian of Doctor Who), Side by Side, the documentary Salinger, and The Frozen Ground, starring John Cusack, Nicolas Cage and Vanessa Hudgens. In collaboration with composer, Rachel Portman, Lorne has just completed the music for 10×10′s feature documentary, Girl Rising, directed by Academy Award nominee, Richard E. Robbins that features narration by actresses such as Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett.

When he hasn’t been composing for film, Balfe has found additional footing in the video game world. In 2011, Balfe composed alongside Jesper Kyd for the game, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Music. A year later in 2012, Balfe was already hard at work composing as a solo composer for Skylanders: Giants, Assassin’s Creed III (which earned Balfe his second BAFTA nomination for Best Original Music) and Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington.

Balfe’s ability to travel between the two worlds of film and video games is a perfect fit for the upcoming Playstation® 3 release, BEYOND: Two Souls, which Playfest audience were able to hear a sneak preview of at the September 7th concert.  The game and soundtrack will be available on October 8, 2013.

(PR through cinemedia, check out his official site here http://www.lornebalfe.com/

Thursday, September 5, 2013

World Soundtrack Acedemy's (WSA) Discovery of the Year nominees announced



Just out:

Benjamin Wallfisch for Hammer of the Gods and Summer in February
Dan Romer & Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild
Joseph Trapanese & Anthony Gonzalez (M83) for Oblivion
Laurent Eyquem for Copperhead
Rob Simonsen for The Spectacular Now and The Way, Way Back


Saturday, August 17, 2013

World Soundtrack Awards Nominations are out



The World Soundtrack Academy has announced the list of its nominees for the 2013 Awards in three of five categories: Film Composer of the Year, Best Original Score of the Year and Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film. The names of the winners will be announced at the World Soundtrack Awards & Concert on Saturday, October 19, the closing night of the 40th edition of Film Fest Gent

More can be found at their official page, here: http://www.worldsoundtrackacademy.com/

Film Composer of the Year

Mychael Danna
Life of Pi

Alexandre Desplat
Argo, Reality, Renoir, Rise of the Guardians, Zero Dark Thirty

Danny Elfman
Epic, Frankenweenie, Hitchcock, Oz The Great and Powerful, Promised Land, Silver Linings Playbook

James Newton Howard
After Earth, The Bourne Legacy

Thomas Newman
Side Effect, Skyfall

Best Original Film Score of the Year

Anna Karenina – Dario Marianelli
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Howard Shore
Life of Pi - Mychael Danna
The Master - Jonny Greenwood
Skyfall – Thomas Newman

Best Original Song written directly for a Film

The Bathtub
from: ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’
music & lyrics by Dan Romer & Benh Zeitlin
performed by The Lost Bayou Ramblers

Young and Beautiful
from ‘The Great Gatsby’
music & lyrics by Lana Del Rey & Rick Nowels
performed by Lana Del Rey

Pi’s Lullaby
from ‘Life of Pi’
music & lyrics by Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri
performed by Bombay Jayashri

Oblivion
from ‘Oblivion’
music & lyrics by Anthony Gonzalez and Susanne Sundfør
performed by M83 feat. Susanne Sundfør

Skyfall
from ‘Skyfall’
music & lyrics by Adele & Paul Epworth
performed by Adele

Monday, July 29, 2013

BEAR McCREARY: Nominated for 2nd Emmy: DA VINCI’S DEMONS Main Title Theme.

Via cinemedia, official pr:



Nominated for Second Emmy for DA VINCI’S DEMONS Main Title Theme

Named Composer of MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

Comic Con Appearances Including Performance of BLACK SAILS and Appearances on Three Panels

 (July 29, 2013 – Culver City, CA) The week of July 15th may be Bear McCreary’s best week ever as a composer.  The week began with the announcement that he would be performing at Comic Con as part of the sneak preview screening of BLACK SAILS, his second television series with STARZ, set to launch January 2014.  Later that day Entertainment Weekly revealed that McCreary is the composer on the highly anticipated ABC TV series MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. And on that Thursday it was announced that McCreary earned his second Emmy nomination for the DA VINCI’S DEMONS Main Title.

"Collaborating with David S. Goyer and composing music for DA VINCI’S DEMONS was a richly rewarding experience that forced me to rethink my creative process on a fundamental level,” said McCreary  “I am very proud of the work we created, and honored to be recognized in the main title category, alongside some of the best composers writing today."

McCreary’s sweeping orchestral score for DA VINCI’S DEMONS was meticulously researched to accurately represent the time period, without being bound to it.  His score combines full orchestra, Renaissance instrumentation, choir and ethnic soloists with the renowned Calder Quartet and surging contemporary synthesis.

“For DA VINCI’S DEMONS, I looked to the real-life Leonardo for inspiration.  He famously wrote backwards and forwards, so I decided to do (try) the same thing with his theme!” said McCreary.  “It was a nice idea at the time, but proved rather difficult to produce anything with emotional meaning. It took a while, but ultimately, I think the end result works beautifully.  It's emotional, and fits Leonardo's character beautifully.  Yet, at the same time, it feels like a palindrome.”

It’s this sort of out-of-the-box thinking that led WIRED Magazine to call McCreary a “Secret Weapon” in a recent issue.  His unique combination of atypical instrumental background (he is a professional accordionist) with rigorous classical training prepared him to compose for disparate genres.  By the age of 24, McCreary was launched into pop culture history with his groundbreaking score to Syfy’s hit series Battlestar Galactica, for which he composed “the most innovative music on TV today” (Variety). It “fits the action so perfectly, it’s almost devastating: a sci-fi score like no other” (NPR).  Io9.com declared Bear McCreary one of the Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of all time, listing him alongside legends John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann.

McCreary continues to write for the television show The Walking Dead.  Recently he lent his talents to Syfy and Trion World’s groundbreaking entertainment experience, Defiance, a combined launch of a MMO videogame. His film projects include Europa Report (currently available On Demand and in theaters on August 2nd) and Knights of Badassdom.  His other credits include critically acclaimed scores for series such as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Eureka and The Cape. His swashbuckling score for Human Target featured the largest orchestra ever assembled in the history of series television and earned him his first Emmy nomination.  His videogame credits include SOCOM 4 and Dark Void.

What will this week hold for McCreary?  It’s off to a great start – with the release of the soundtrack for his music to CAPRICA on Tuesday and the release of the soundtrack for EUROPA REPORT on Friday, coinciding with the film hitting theaters.

# # #

www.bearmccreary.com

Friday, July 26, 2013

Playfest (Video Game and Animation Music Festival) announces line-up

Press release via CineMedia Promotions:



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PLAYFEST MOVES TO MÁLAGA, SPAIN

Unique Video Game and Animation Music Festival Announces Line-up 

Featuring Music From Star Trek Video Games, and Composers Kevin Kiner, Jason Graves, Oscar Araujo, Cris Velasco, and Lorne Balfe

(July 25, 2013—Úbeda, Spain) –  The second annual PlayFest -- Music, Animation and Videogames Festival, moves to Fuengirola in Málaga, Spain from September 5-8, 2013.  Playfest is a unique event dedicated to one of the fastest growing industries today that will bring together leading artists, composers and companies to participate in master classes, conferences, screenings and concerts.

This year’s concert will spotlight music from Star Trek Video Games (presented by BuySoundtrax Records) and conducted by Kevin Kiner (Star Trek: Borg), the works of composers Jason Graves (Dead Space, Tomb Raider) Oscar Araujo (Castlevania), and Cris Velasco (God of War, Mass Effect 3).  The headliner of the concert will be a special presentation of the music Lorne Balfe (Assassin’s Creed 3, Beyond: Two Souls), which he will conduct -- portions of which will be selected by you – the fans!  The concert will be presented at the Fuengirola castle – a magical place for art and music to merge. 

Scottish composer Lorne Balfe invites fans to help shape his program.  Lorne Balfe is a Grammy award winning and BAFTA nominated film composer from Inverness, Scotland.  His video game credits include titles in the Assassin’s Creed franchise (Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Assassin’s Creed: The Tyranny of King Washington), the Skylanders franchise (Skylanders: Giants, Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure), Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2, Crysis 2 and the upcoming Beyond: Two Souls.

Balfe invites fans to offer suggestions on what themes to include in his performance by tweeting their suggestions to @LorneBalfe with the #PlayfestLB.

PlayFest is organized by Leitmotiv Music, with the cooperation of the City of Fuengirola and the Málaga Provincial Council, BuySoundtrax Records and BSOSpirit. Playfest will take place in Málaga, Spain from September 5-8, 2013.

Leitmotiv wishes to acknowledge the support of the Mayor of Fuengirola and the City Councilor of Culture, Esperanza Oña and Rodrigo Romero, respectively, as well as the vice president of the Provincial Council of Málaga, Ana Mata, BuySoundtrax Records, and all the public and private organizations that support PlayFest.

###

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Young composers rescore Scorsese's short film 'The Big Shave' ('68) - LAST CALL FOR REGISTRATIONS


Young composers rescore
Scorsese's short film 'The Big Shave' ('68)

Young European film music talent will have another chance to win the highly sought after SABAM Award For Best Young European Composer.

This award was created by the World Soundtrack Academy and is worth € 2 500 and the live performance of the three finalists’ compositions by the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé during the presentation of the World Soundtrack Awards on 19 October at the venue ‘t Kuipke in Ghent. This is the official closing ceremony of the 40th Ghent Film Festival (8 - 19 October 2013).

Candidates must be younger than 36 years old and must be European or have been born in Europe. 


Every year, the Ghent Film Festival offers young talent the chance to win renown as a film music composer. This year is the eleventh award ceremony and the fourth time the event includes the whole of Europe. Candidates can follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Valentin Hadjadj and countless other important composers who attended previous editions of the festival, such as Angelo Badalamenti, Dario Marianelli, Gustavo Santaolalla, Hans Zimmer, John Powell, Maurice Jarre, Howard Shore, Alberto Iglesias, Elliot Goldenthal and many others.

The winning entry of last year, by Valentin Hadjadj:


The three finalists will be invited at a fantastic three-day visit in Ghent where they will have the opportunity to meet important people of the film music industry.

Candidates must be under 36 and will be asked to compose music for ‘The Big Shave’, a short film directed by Martin Scorsese in 1968. The Italian-American director has a very special connection with Belgium: he received his very first honour at the festival of experimental film in Knokke organised by the Royal Belgian Film Archive, where this shocking short film was a prize-winner. Scorsese gave the festival organisation permission to have a fragment of this legendary short film rescored for this composition contest.


The composition must be submitted by 12 August. A professional jury made up of people from the film and music worlds that also have international experience will judge the compositions. The Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by maestro Dirk Brossé, will perform the compositions of the three finalists at the 13th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards ceremony on October 19th at ‘t Kuipke in Ghent. Afterwards, the winner of the contest will be announced.



Registration information: Valerie Dobbelaere (tel. +32 9 242 80 74 - valerie@filmfestival.be)

13th World Soundtrack Awards & Concert Alexandre Desplat

The Ghent Film Festival is delighted to welcome the French composer Alexandre Desplat to the traditional film music concert during the second part of the World Soundtrack Academy award ceremony which will bring the 40th film festival to a festive end.

We have had the pleasure of his company at several previous WSA concerts but this will be the first time that Desplat, the most celebrated composer of his generation, will perform a selection of his incredibly rich and varied film compositions at ‘t Kuipke Ghent in front of an audience of 3,000 people and film music fans. Alexandre Desplat continues to amaze with the sheer volume of compositions he produces, yet without compromising quality and imagination in the slightest. Last year, he wrote remarkable music for no fewer than eight (!) feature films: the Oscar winning Argo by Ben Affleck, Zero Dark Thirty by Kathryn Bigelow, Rise of the Guardians by Peter Ramsey, Renoir by Gilles Bourdos, Reality by Matteo Garrone, De Rouille et d’Os by Jacques Audiard, Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson and Cloclo by Florent-Emilio Siri. This year’s Cannes Film Festival programme features two more films for which Desplat has written scores: Venus in Fur by Roman Polanski and Zulu by Jérôme Salle.

Since his debut in the late eighties, Desplat already has 143 scores to his name and his international career includes collaborations with such leading directors as Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer, Carnage), George Clooney (The Ides of March), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Jonathan Glazer (Birth).

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented during the award ceremony of the WSA concert goes to the Italian composer Riz Ortolani, born in 1931 in Pesaro, Italy. Together with Ennio Morricone and the late Carlo Rustichelli and Nino Rota, Ortolani is one of the greats of Italian film music from the golden era of Italian cinema.

13th WSA & concert
Saturday 19 October at 8 p.m. at ’t Kuipke in Ghent
Performance by the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé
accompanied by film scenes projected onto a big screen

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

CD release (on-demand) of the excellent documentary score for Metsän Tarina (The Tale of a Forest) by Panu Aaltio (2012)

Metsän Tarina (The Tale of a Forest) [Soundtrack]
Panu Aaltio (Artist) | Format: Audio CD 



Product details
Audio CD (10 Jun 2013)
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Soundtrack
Label: MovieScore Media

also available as an mp3 download here:

Track Listings
1. The Tale of a Forest
2. A New Beginning
3. The Little Ones
4. A Midsummer Treasure
5. Snowfall
6. The Woodland Spirit
7. Spring Wonder
8. Days Gone By
9. Ant Kingdom
10. Stone of the Snakes
11. Home
12. The Bird and the Squirrel
13. Twig Traffic
14. Raindrops
15. Love,Care and Respect
16. The World Tree
17. Forsaken
18. A Forest Adventure

Voted the #1 film score of 2012 by Soundtrack Geek's Critics Choice and 'Best Documentary Score' by the International Film Music Critics Association,Panu Aaltio's original music for the first Finnish feature length nature documentary to receive a wide domestic theatrical release is a also one of the most beautiful soundtracks of the year.Following the example set by composers such as Bruno Coulais(Oceans,Winged Migration)and George Fenton(Planet Earth,Life),Aaltio underscores the drama and emotions of this wildlife adventure with broad but sophisticated brush strokes.Several themes are heard throughout the score,and the sheer beauty of these tracks are contrasted by playful scherzos showcasing inspired writing for flutes,woodwinds and pizzicato strings and majestic fanfares for brass,strings and percussion.MovieScore Media's releases of Aaltio's scores for The Home of Dark Butterflies and Dawn of the Dragonslayer has already established the composer as one to watch - with the arrival of the music for Metsän tarina,there is no doubt that he is one of the most talented of his generation!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Game of Thrones (Music from the HBO® Series) Season 3 by Ramin Djawadi (2013,mp3)


Product Details

    Original Release Date: June 4, 2013
    Label: WaterTower Music
    Copyright: (c) 2013 WaterTower Music / Home Box Office, Inc.
    Total Length: 53:12

Monday, May 20, 2013

New from composer Brian Keane: Copper (2013, cd and mp3)


From the composer Brian Keane of the beautiful "Death and the Civil War" from last year, comes a new release: Copper - O.S.T. Here are some details on the score cd release (+mp3 version too) from amazon.com

    Audio CD (May 28, 2013)
    Original Release Date: 2013
    Number of Discs: 1
    Label: Valley
    ASIN: B00C3MKB52

mp3 edition here: http://www.amazon.com/Copper-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B00CJVWUPG/ref=mb_oe_o

Original music score from Grammy Award and multiple Emmy Award winning Composer Brian Keane. Alongside Keane is a who's who of American instrumentalists: Joanie Madden, leader of Cherish the Ladies, is featured on the Irish whistles for which she has been world-renowned. Eileen  Ivers, the Cherish the Ladies and Riverdance alumna who was also featured on the soundtrack of 'Gangs of New York'. Eric Weissberg, best known for the 'Dueling Bangjos' them to 'Deliverance' and his session work with Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and Art Garfunkel (to name a few), adds his firs-class 5-string banjo.

On august 19. 2012 'Copper' premiered to 1.1 million viewers and delivered 2.75 million viewers in Live+7 data. The series' second season will return with thirteen new episodes on June 23, 2013.

more on the cd release at: http://www.amazon.com/Copper-O-S-T-Brian-Keane/dp/B00C3MKB52/ref=zg_bsnr_42_71

Third installment in the 'before' trilogy: Before Midnight , composed by Graham Reynolds (2013,mp3)

Before Midnight [+digital booklet]
Graham Reynolds | Format: MP3 Music


    This version contains: 14 songs and 1 digital booklet
    Original Release Date: May 21, 2013
    Format - Music: MP3, Digital Booklet PDF
       Label: Milan Records
    Copyright: 2013 Talagane Llc, Under Exclusive License To Milan Entertainment Inc.
        Total Length: 36:43

Movie info from imdb:
 Before Midnight (2013)
108 min  -  Drama  -  24 May 2013 (USA)
We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna.
Director:
Richard Linklater
Writers:
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and more, Stars:
Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick

New documentary score release: We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks - composed by Fall On Your Sword (2013,mp3)


    Original Release Date: May 21, 2013
    Label: Back Lot Music
    Copyright: 2013 Back Lot Music
    Total Length: 1:01:16

Movie info via imdb.com
 We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (2013)
130 min  -  Documentary  -  24 May 2013 (USA)
A documentary that details the creation of Julian Assange's controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in U.S. history.
Director:
Alex Gibney
Stars:
Julian Assange, Adrian Lamo