At its worst, it’s just noise in the background. At its best, it can carry a movie and trigger a violently emotional response from the audience.
Film music has been a constant part of my life since my teens when I started buying CD soundtracks. One of my first was Howard Shore’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Jerry Goldsmith’s The Omen (1976) is still a frightening masterpiece; I remember listening to “Ave Satani” with some trepidation in my boyhood room. Watching a live performance of the piece by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in October 2024, right in time for Halloween, gave me chills.
I’ve always been used to people thinking film music is nerdy and not really something to be enjoyed like rock or pop. Still, that’s always where my heart has belonged. When I went to see Hans Zimmer in concert in 2017, it was a clear sign for me that times have changed. Film music composers can now go on tour and attract thousands – Zimmer isn’t the only one.
Watching all these different people at that concert back in 2017 made me feel like I’m not at all attending a special event for nerds.
Zimmer put together an amazing show. Joining him on stage were a band, an orchestra and a choir, 60 people in all. The concert started incredibly strong with a medley featuring music from Driving Miss Daisy, Sherlock Holmes and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Another joyous highlight was a Lion King medley featuring Lebo M., the original vocalist from the score. The concert had a beautifully global feeling, with musicians from Germany, the U.S., Britain, Venezuela, South Africa, China and India.
One of the great things about this show was how Zimmer playfully moved between various instruments, guitars, pianos, etc. At times, he just seemed to be watching, admiringly, all his musicians work wonders.
There were a few disappointments. I loved the fact that Zimmer included music from Rain Man, but felt that the piece relied a little too much on a lengthy electric guitar solo. Also, the theme from Man of Steel drowned a bit in all the percussion; the nuances are better heard on the album. Still, it’s hard to complain when the show ended with a terrific Inception medley.
Over the years I’ve created and updated my own Spotify lists of composers. It’s been an opportunity to explore their scores and pick favorite pieces, old ones and newly discovered. Recently, I started making a transition to Apple Music due to the service’s superior sound quality.
In this blog entry I’ll list composers and embed my playlists – which will continue to be updated, especially those belonging to composers who are still active. Enjoy.
JOHN BARRY
Terence Blanchard
Nicholas Britell
John Carpenter
Alexandre Desplat
Ramin Djawadi
Danny Elfman
Michael Giacchino
Jerry Goldsmith
James Horner
James newton howard
Maurice Jarre
Thomas Newman
Rachel Portman
John Powell
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Lalo Schifrin
Howard Shore
ALAN SILVESTRI
Vangelis
John Williams
GABRIEL YARED
Hans Zimmer
SPECIAL: JAMES BOND
