John Williams | Photo by Todd Rosenberg Photography
From original soundtracks to classical music famously used on the big screen, we’re celebrating music that makes the movies magical with KUSC at the Movies! In addition to hearing cinematic selections on-air, several of the Oscar-nominated film composers joined Jim Svejda on the Evening Program last week.
Listen to the conversations below.
Thomas Newman earned his 15th Oscar nomination for his score for 1917, his seventh collaboration with director Sam Mendes. It was not only the director’s most personal film–dedicated to the memory of his grandfather, a Great War veteran–but also presented some unique challenges for all concerned, being filmed in a single, unbroken shot.
Alexandre Desplat’s 11th Oscar nomination came for his score for the latest screen version of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, for which the French composer not only had to capture the spirit of the period, but also worked with director Greta Gerwig almost exclusively via Skype.
Not for the first time in his career, Randy Newman was honored with a pair of Oscar nominations: his 21st for Marriage Story–his first film score written for a chamber orchestra–and his 22nd for the song “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brought John Williams his 52nd Oscar nomination, now only 7 short of the all-time record held by Walt Disney. In addition to its symphonic manipulation of the nearly 30 existing Star Wars Theme, the score also incorporates several new ones, including a transformation of the one associated with Kylo Ren.
Plus, listen to KUSC contributor Tim Greiving’s conversation with the composer who transformed the film Joker, Hildur Guðnadóttir.
