Soundtrack Music – ruminations, reviews and interviews
A different perspecitive on soundtracks – artwork. To be honest if I want the music to a particular soundtrack then I will buy it regardless of it’s cover but it’s always an extra when the artwork appeals. So, in no particular order…
CHRISTOPHER WILLIS WINS SCORE OF THE YEAR FOR THE DICKENSIAN COMEDY “THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD,” CARLOS RAFAEL RIVERA WINS TWO AWARDS FOR HIT TV SERIES “THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT”
FEBRUARY 18, 2021 — The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of winners for excellence in musical scoring in 2020, in the 2020 IFMCA Awards.
The award for Score of the Year goes to composer Christopher Willis, for his score for the Dickensian comedy “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” directed by Armando Iannucci. In describing the score, IFMCA member Florent Groult called it a “luminous neo-romantic mini symphony,” while his colleague Olivier Desbrosses called it an “inspired score that in no way seeks to hide its many nods to the great masters of classical music,” and features “sensational orchestrations and constant elegance.” Similarly, IFMCA member Jon Broxton said the score was “the music of an idealized England; the contrast between the bustling streets of London and a more languid life in the countryside, the distinct beauty of its sun-kissed fields and its rugged sea shores, the depiction of lords and ladies and gentlemen, scoundrels and thieves, high society and common folk, and the way that this most profound of literary protagonists weaves his way through it all … there is not a dull moment … there is not a moment where Willis is not taking the time to say something interesting with his music – presenting a new theme, a variation on an existing one, or painting a vivid musical picture of this specific time and place.” The score is also named Best Original Score for a Comedy Film. These are the second and third IFMCA Awards of Willis’s career, him having previously won the Comedy award in 2017 for his score for his feature debut “The Death of Stalin”.
Daniel Pemberton is named Composer of the Year, having written acclaimed music for four films in 2019. The most lauded of these were the literary adventure “Enola Holmes,” based on the popular young adult novels by Nancy Springer about the younger sister of the legendary sleuth Sherlock; the political drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which looks at the real-life trial of a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters charged with inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention; and “Rising Phoenix,” an acclaimed documentary following the stories of nine Paralympic athletes. All of these scores were nominated in their respective genre categories. IFMCA member James Southall called Enola Holmes “a great orchestral adventure romp, whose quirks only add to its great sense of fun … fresh and energetic and one of the year’s strongest scores.” Southall also described “The Trial of the Chicago 7” as “at its peak, one of the strongest film scores of the year” while lauding the fact that “Pemberton exercises a lot of restraint, with subtle music highly respectful of the unfolding drama within the film”. This is Pemberton’s first IFMCA win in any category.
Composer Thomas Clay is named Breakthrough Composer of the Year for his work scoring his own film, “Fanny Lye Deliver’d”. Thomas Clay wrote and directed the film as an independent ‘Puritan western’ and then decided to score the film himself after he spent more than a year unsuccessfully attempting to secure a composer. The resulting score is a blend of 16th century period instruments and contemporary dramatic scoring that belies its low-budget status, and is all the more impressive considering the circumstances in which it was composed. IFMCA member John Mansell observed that the score “is similar to that of many Italian-made westerns, with the music becoming part of the action and the storyline, and adding a near operatic feel to the proceedings.” Mansell also praised the score for utilizing “real instruments and vocalists and developed themes throughout, underlining, punctuating, caressing, and at times ingratiating the movie with these. The music is filled with a plethora of colors and textures, one moment being brooding and dark, and then altering its stance and style to purvey a more romantic or melancholy mood.”
The various other genre awards are won by: Tarō Iwashiro for his moving score for the Japanese drama “Fukushima 50,” about the men and women who worked selflessly to make the eponymous nuclear power plant safe after a devastating earthquake; John Powell for his music for the latest adaptation of Jack London’s classic adventure novel “The Call of the Wild”; Hans Zimmer for his action-packed and uplifting score for the sci-fi/fantasy super hero sequel “Wonder Woman 1984”; Bruno Coulais for his music for the beautiful and mystical Irish animated film “Wolfwalkers”; and Steven Price for his score for the important and prescient nature documentary “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet”.
In the non-film categories, composer Carlos Rafael Rivera wins two awards for his score for the critically acclaimed chess-themed TV series “The Queen’s Gambit,” including the prestigious Film Music Composition of the Year award for his spectacular main title theme. In addition, composers Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad win the award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media for their bold, stirring score for the latest instalment in Medal of Honor series, subtitled “Above and Beyond”.
Spain-based Quartet Records is named Film Music Record Label of the Year for the first time, in recognition their outstanding series of expanded re-releases and re-recordings which in 2020 included titles such as Bernard Herrmann’s “Endless Night,” and Ennio Morricone’s “The Good the Bad and the Ugly”. Producer James Fitzpatrick and Tadlow Music receives the Archival Award for their new recording of Miklós Rózsa’s score for the 1961 biblical epic “King of Kings,” conducted by Nic Raine with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. In the Compilation category, the award goes to producer Bernhard Güttler and the Deutsche Grammophon label for “John Williams in Vienna,” a compilation of classic John Williams film music pieces re-arranged for virtuoso violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, conducted by Williams himself as part of a gala concert featuring the renowned Wiener Philharmoniker Orchestra.
Jon Broxton, Chairman of the IFMCA
The winners are:
FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – RE-RELEASE OR RE-RECORDING
BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – COMPILATION
FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
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The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing and broadcasting about original film, television and game music.
Since its inception the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 65 members from countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Previous IFMCA Score of the Year Awards have been awarded to John Williams’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019, John Powell’s “Solo” in 2018, Jonny Greenwood’s “Phantom Thread” in 2017, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s “Arrival” in 2016, John Williams’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015, Hans Zimmer’s “Interstellar” in 2014, Abel Korzeniowski’s “Romeo & Juliet” in 2013, Mychael Danna’s “Life of Pi” in 2012, John Williams’s “War Horse” in 2011, and John Powell’s “How to Train Your Dragon” in 2010.
For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association go to http://www.filmmusiccritics.org, visit our Facebook page, find us on YouTube, follow us on Twitter @ifmca, or contact us at press@filmmusiccritics.org.
Considering the strange year we have just exprienced it was quite a bumber year fror soundtracks, in fact I listened to the most scores ever – a grand total of 340! Whilst several films have had their release dates changed, and in some cases more than once, there was still enough good movie music to listen to. With cinemas closed streaming platforms upped their game and gave us a fair selection of film releases. Below is my choice of the best scores and the runner’s up!
FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
ANNY LYE DELIVER’D by Thomas Clay
Close: Let Them All Talk – Thomas Newman, Enola Holmes – Daniel Pemberton, The Midnight Sky – Alexander Desplat, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Branford Marsalis
FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
THOMAS CLAY
Close: Thomas Newman, Daniel Pemberton, Branford Marsalis, Lorne Balfe
BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
THOMAS CLAY
Close: Christopher Willis, Daniel Pemberton, Emille Moseri, Isobel Waller-Bridge
BEST DRAMA SCORE
FANNY LYE DELIVERE’D by Thomas Clay
Close: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mank, Bad Education, Jungleand
BEST COMEDY SCORE
Let Them All Talk by Thomas Newman
Close: The Personal History Of David Copperfield – Christopher Willis, Emma – IIsobel Waller-Bridge, Explota Explota- Roque Banos, Wild Mountain Thyme – Ameilia Walker
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM
ENOLOA HOLMES by Daniel Pemberton
Close: The Call Of The Wild – John Powell , Villain – Aaron May & David Ridley, Pirates Down The Street – Matthijs Kieboom, Mulan – Harry Gregson-Williams
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM
THE MIDNIGHT SKY by Alexandra Desplat
Close: Bad Hair – Kris Bowers,Kelly Rowland & Justin Simien, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story – John Debney, Wonder Woman 1984 – Hans Zimmer, Come Away – John Debney
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FILM
PETS REUNITED by Thomas Newman
CLOSE: Fearless -Anne-Katherine Dern, Wolf Walkers – Bruno Coulais, Kila & Aurora, Petite Vampire – Olivier Daviaud, Trolls World Tour – Theodore Shapiro
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY
A LIFE ON OUR PLANET by Steven Price
CLOSE: RisingPhoenix – Daniel Pemberton, Elephant – Ramin Djawadi, Sadan Hanim – George Kallis, Spaceship Earth – Owen Pallett
THE QUEENS GAMBIT by Carlos Rafael Rivera
CLOSE: Devs – Ben Salisbury, The Insects, Geoff Barrow – The Mandalorian S2 – Ludwig Goransson, His Dark Material – Lorne Balfe
BEST ORIGINAL VIDEO GAME SCORE
THE PATHLESS by Austin Wintory
CLOSE: Agos:A Game Of Space – Austin Wintory, Ghost Of Tsushima by Ilan Eshkeri & Shigeru Umebayshi, Ory and the Will of The Wisps, Gareth Coker, Wolcen Lords of Mayhem – Jean-Gabriel Raynaud, Cedric Baravaglio
FEBRUARY 4, 2021. The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2020, for the 17th annual IFMCA Awards. British composer Daniel Pemberton and German composer Hans Zimmer lead the field with the most number of nominations, each receiving a total of five.
Pemberton’s nominations were for his work on three films: the literary adventure “Enola Holmes,” based on the popular young adult novels by Nancy Springer about the younger sister of the legendary sleuth Sherlock; the political drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which looks at the real-life trial of a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters charged with inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention; and “Rising Phoenix,” an acclaimed documentary following the stories of nine Paralympic athletes. “Enola Holmes” is nominated for Score of the Year, and Pemberton is nominated for Composer of the Year. IFMCA member James Southall called Enola Holmes “a great orchestral adventure romp, whose quirks only add to its great sense of fun … conventional by recent Pemberton standards but still features a number of quirks and it feels so continually fresh and energetic … one of the year’s strongest scores”.
Zimmer’s five nominations were all for his work on one film, “Wonder Woman 1984,” the blockbuster sequel to the 2017 DC superhero film directed by Patty Jenkins, and starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. The score is nominated for Score of the Year and in its Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Horror genre, Zimmer is nominated for Composer of the Year, and two of Zimmer’s individual cues – “1984” and “Themyscira” – are nominated for Film Music Composition of the Year. IFMCA member Jon Broxton praised the score’s “upbeat attitude, its buoyant sense of fun and optimism, and the unashamed, un-ironic sincerity of its emotional content,” and said that “the depth and complexity of Zimmer’s thematic ideas makes the score satisfying from an intellectual point of view, meaning that the whole thing succeeds on every count.”
Also nominated for both Score of the Year and Composer of the Year is British composer Christopher Willis, the winner of the IFMCA’s Comedy Score award in 2017. Willis’s score for the Dickensian literary comedy “The Personal History of David Copperfield” was described by IFMCA member Florent Groult as a “luminous neo-romantic mini symphony,” while his colleague Olivier Desbrosses called it an “inspired score that in no way seeks to hide its many nods to the great masters of classical music,” and features “sensational orchestrations and constant elegance.”
The other nominees for Score of the Year are “The Call of the Wild” by British composer John Powell and “Fukushima 50” by Japanese composer Tarō Iwashiro. “The Call of the Wild” is a new adaptation of the classic Jack London adventure novel of the same name, starring Harrison Ford. IFMCA member Christian Clemmensen said that Powell’s score “transcends the stereotypes of Western film music, merging that genre with modern fantasy and adventure sensibilities to form one of the most uniquely satisfying soundtrack experiences of its era.”
Meanwhile, “Fukushima 50” tells the harrowing true story of what happened to the workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and how they risked their lives to stay at the plant and prevent its destruction in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan in 2011. The score by Tarō Iwashiro was described by IFMCA member Joep de Bruijn as being “full of strong orchestral and solo performances, a memorable theme, and a great dramatic scope”. Iwashiro’s nomination in this category represents the first time in IFMCA history that a score from a Japanese film has been included in the five choices for Score of the Year.
The other nominees for Composer of the Year are Federico Jusid and Bear McCreary. Argentine composer Jusid is nominated for his work on several scores across multiple genres, including the Spanish super-hero themed serial killer thriller “Orígenes Secretos” (also nominated in its genre), the romantic drama “El Verano Que Vivimos,” the thriller “No Matarás,” and TV series including “The Head”. American composer McCreary’s work in 2020 includes the animated film “Animal Crackers” (also nominated in its genre), the horror-thrillers “Fantasy Island” and “Freaky,” the espionage action movie “Ava,” and several prestigious continuing television dramas such as “Outlander,” “The Walking Dead,” “Snowpiercer,” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Each year the IFMCA goes out of its way to recognize emerging talent in the film music world, and this year is no exception. The nominees in the Breakthrough Composer of the Year category are a diverse group, and the IFMCA is especially excited to reveal that again two of the five nominees are women. Israeli composer Nami Melumad co-wrote two outstanding scores alongside veteran Michael Giacchino, notably the comedy “An American Pickle” and the video game “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond,” showcasing her excellence and diversity across multiple genres. Meanwhile, British composer Isobel Waller-Bridge wrote a quintessentially English period score for the latest version of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” combining whimsical orchestral music with bel canto opera and folk tunes. Waller-Bridge, who is also known for her score for the hit TV comedy “Fleabag” created by and starring her sister Phoebe, is nominated for this award alongside her Emma co-composer David Schweitzer.
The final three composers nominated for Breakthrough Composer begin with British composer Alex Baranowski, who wrote outstanding scores for films such as “The Windermere Children” and “A Christmas Carol” after working extensively and successfully in the theater. British filmmaker Thomas Clay wrote and directed an independent ‘Puritan western’ entitled “Fanny Lye Deliver’d,” and then decided to score the film himself after he was unable to secure a composer; the resulting score is a blend of 16th century period instruments and contemporary dramatic scoring that belies its low-budget status, and is all the more impressive considering the circumstances in which it was composed. Finally, American composer Philip Klein wrote a superb score for the war drama “The Last Full Measure,” the first credited work of his career after he spent several years writing additional music and orchestrating for many of Hollywood’s premier composers. Clay’s score for “Fanny Lye Deliver’d” is also nominated individually in the Drama category.
As it has in previous years, the IFMCA takes pride in honoring composers from across the film music world; in addition to the ones already mentioned, this year’s international nominees include French composer Bruno Coulais for the Irish animated film “Wolfwalkers,” and Cypriot composer George Kallis for the Turkish documentary film “Sadan Hanım”.
The IFMCA is also especially pleased to note that the majority of the nominees in the Comedy category were written by women – “An American Pickle” jointly by Nami Melumad with Michael Giacchino, “Emma” jointly by Isobel Waller-Bridge with David Schweitzer, “Godmothered” by Rachel Portman, and “Wild Mountain Thyme” by Amelia Warner. This is the first time in IFMCA history that a single score category has had a female-composer majority, and is testament to the work of organizations such as the Alliance for Women Film Composers (AFWC) and their efforts to redress the gender gap in film music.
Several composers are receiving their first ever IFMCA Award nominations this year in addition to the aforementioned newcomers; these are Terence Blanchard (“Da 5 Bloods,” Drama), Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste (“Soul,” Animation), Laura Karpman and Raphael Saadiq (“Lovecraft Country,” Television), and Shigeru Umebayashi (“Ghost of Tsushima,” Game).
The International Film Music Critics Association will announce the winners of the 17th IFMCA Awards on February 18, 2021.
The nominees are:
FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – RE-RELEASE OR RE-RECORDING
BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – COMPILATION
FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing and broadcasting about original film, television and game music.
Since its inception the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 65 members from countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Previous IFMCA Score of the Year Awards have been awarded to John Williams’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019, John Powell’s “Solo” in 2018, Jonny Greenwood’s “Phantom Thread” in 2017, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s “Arrival” in 2016, John Williams’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015, Hans Zimmer’s “Interstellar” in 2014, Abel Korzeniowski’s “Romeo & Juliet” in 2013, Mychael Danna’s “Life of Pi” in 2012, John Williams’s “War Horse” in 2011, and John Powell’s “How to Train Your Dragon” in 2010.
Well… it has been a while since I published in my blog – all due to breaking my wrist in May. After many months of physio I am able to commence with doing what I like best – listening, broadcasting and writing about film soundtracks. Click here for this month’s show: http://www.cinematicsound.net/filmic-with-ley-bricknell-episode-4/
It’s also available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Here is this month’s playlist:
TRACK COMPOSER FILM
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Well, I have been somewhat lax in my blogging but I think I have an excellent reason why …… I have broken my wrist! And of course, it is my right wrist – my dominant hand!! I am either 3 or 5 weeks away from having the cast off depending on how quickly it is healing.
Life is slow and exhausting as doing the most simple of things brings on a tsunami of frustration. However I am currently sorting out tracks for my next Filmic show, so stick with me, and if you want to tease, why not suggest tracks from movie scores that allude to plaster casts or broken bones?
I look forward to hearing from you.
I am now nicely settled and very warmly welcomed into my new recording home at http://www.cinematicsound.net/ and this is my second show of the year. Moving to this fab network has been the main reason for not posting anything for a while, had to make some changes but all done now.
This first 3 months of this year have been pretty good for soundtrack releases, especially in the documentary category. Here are some I can highly recommend:
Dolphin Reef – Steven Price Elephant – Ramin Djawadi Stuffed – Ben Lovett – Les Ailes Pourpres – Steve McLaughlin & The Cinematic Orchestra – Melville, Le Dernier Samourai – Eric Demarsan.
Here is the playlist to this month’s show, I am always open to requests so please do contact me filmicradio@gmail.com. The show can be heard on most streaming platforms and direct from the Cinematic Sound Radio link above.
| Shankara Re Shankara | Ardarsh Shinde | Tanhaji:The Unsung Warrior |
| Measuring Locks | David Hirschfelder | Escape From Pretoria |
| Rough Dancing | Sally Potter | The Roads Not Taken |
| Dance Suite | Roy Webb | Notorious |
| Kwolock’s Malaise | Gareth Coker | Ori & The Will Of The Wisps |
| Kwolock’s Throne Room | Gareth Coker | Ori & The Will Of The Wisps |
| Opening | Robert Glasper | The Photograph |
| Unceasing | Carlo Rustichelli | Il Ragazzo Che Sorride |
| Mbouma | Roque Banos | Adu |
| A Traves de Africa | Roque Banos | Adu |
| Born Free | John Barry | Born Free [Movieola] |
| Enticelle | Evgueni & Sacha Galperine | Radioactive |
| Inventions For John | Ennio Morricone | A Fistful Of Dynamite |
| March of the Beggars | Ennio Morricone A Fistful Of Dynamite | |
| Treasure Ceremony | Christopher Wong, Ian Rees, Garrett Crosby | The Royal Bride |
| Franta’s Theme | Kristian Sensini | All Against All |
| Guilty Secrets | Kristian Sensini | All Against All |
| Snow | Volker Bertleman | Downhill |
| Roof Snow Dump | Volker Bertleman | Downhill |
| Bernards’ Theme | H Scott Salinas | The Banker |
| Matt Get’s It | H Scott Salinas | The Banker |
| Dance For Me Wallis | Abel Korzeniowski | W.E. |
With the awards season more or less at a close, it’s time for me to announce the scores which impressed me the most last year. As per last 2018, I found parts of 2019 difficult in as much as the first half of the year was quite bereft of both films and soundtracks that I liked so thank goodness it got going for the remainder of the year!
This year I have added scores [per category] which I feel should get a mention.
FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
Joker – Hildur Gudnadottir
CLOSE: 1917, Little Women/Star Wars/The Rise Of Skywalker
FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Bear McCreary
BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Wow, McCreary’s output in 2019 was phenomenal and each score was really good: Eli/Child’s Play/Outlander [series 4]/Godzilla: King Of The Monsters/Rim Of The World/The Professor And The Mad Man/ Happy Death Day 2.
Bobby Krilic [Minsommer]
BEST DRAMA SCORE
Joker – Hildur Gudnadottir
CLOSE: The Professor And The Mad Man/A Hidden Life/Motherless Brooklyn
BEST COMEDY SCORE
Le Mystere Henri Pik – Laurent Perez Del Mar
CLOSE: Blanche Comme Neige/Dolemite Is My Name
BEST SCORE ACTION ADVENTURE/ADVENTURE/THRILLER SCORE
1917 – Thomas Newman
CLOSE: The Man Who Killed Bigfoot and Then Hitler
BEST SCIENCE FICTION SCORE
Godzilla – Bear McCreary
BEST HORROR SCORE
Midsommer – Bobby Krilic
CLOSE: Us – Michael Abels
BEST ANIMATION SCORE
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – John Powell
CLOSE: Miniscule: Les Mandibules Du Bout Du Monde
BEST SCORE FOR DOCUMENTARY
Our Planet – Steven Price
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION
Chernobyl – Hildur Gudnadottir
BEST VIDEO GAME SCORE
Erica – Austin Wintory
Close: A Plaugue Tale: Innocence
BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE
Dial M For Murder – Dimitri Tiomkin
BEST MUSIC COMPOSITION (CUE) OF THE YEAR
The Night Window from 1917 by Thomas Newman
CLOSE: A Hidden Life from A Hidden Life
FEBRUARY 20, 2020 — The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of winners for excellence in musical scoring in 2019, in the 2019 IFMCA Awards.
The award for Score of the Year goes to legendary veteran John Williams for his score for the ninth and final Star Wars film, “The Rise of Skywalker,” which concluded the sequel trilogy of adventures about the scavenger Rey, heroic former Stormtrooper Finn, and Kylo Ren, the leader of the Imperial First Order. The film is directed by J.J Abrams, and stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Adam Driver. In describing the score, IFMCA member James Southall described “The Rise of Skywalker” as ‘one last brilliant piece of musical adventure to call time on his signature work … a triumphant conclusion to an extraordinary musical saga,’ and also said that ‘it’s simply impossible to overstate Williams’s contribution to the series’ success’. The score is also named Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film, while the main theme “The Rise of Skywalker” is named Film Music Composition of the Year.
The IFMCA has also chosen to bestow a Special Award on Williams, primarily in recognition of his near-unparalleled achievement in scoring the 9-movie saga that began with the original Star Wars film in 1977. IFMCA member Jon Broxton opined that ‘no-one has achieved the holy triumvirate of musical excellence, peer respect, and pop culture recognition the way that John Williams has,’ and described the entire Star Wars saga as ‘works of staggering genius and beauty … his Ring Cycle, the work that will define his life and his legacy, a nine-movement 25-hour masterpiece of enduring musical brilliance that has taken a full 42 years to come to fruition’. Williams is, of course, the composer of other such landmark works as “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and “Schindler’s List,” among many other classics.
The IFMCA Roberto Aschieri Special Award, which is named in memory of the IFMCA member from Argentina who died in 2017, is not awarded every year, and is only given to projects or individuals that the membership deems worthy of significant recognition outside of the ‘regular’ IFMCA categories. These are the 23rd, 24th, 25th, and 26th IFMCA Award wins of Williams’s career; he previously won Score of the Year awards for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015, “War Horse” in 2011, and “Memoirs of a Geisha” in 2005.
Bear McCreary is named Composer of the Year, having written music for an astonishing six films and four television series in 2019. The most lauded of these were “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and “The Professor and the Madman”, both of which were nominated in their respective genre categories. Regarding Godzilla, IFMCA member Florent Groult noted that McCreary ‘takes up [existing themes] with great passion and turns them into a score that is massive and fantastic,’ while IFMCA member Randall Larson called it the score a ‘supremely impressive musical conception rich in agitato gestures and textured in dark, flaring colors; a magnificent work that will stay in memory for a long time’. McCreary’s other work in 2020 included the horror sequel “Happy Death Day 2U,” the children’s adventure “Rim of the World,” the reboot of “Child’s Play,” and the horror film “Eli,” as well as the TV shows “The Walking Dead,” “See,” and “Proven Innocent”. This is McCreary’s first Composer of the Year win, having previously won IFMCA awards in the TV category for “Battlestar Galactica” and “Human Target,” and in the Video Game category for “God of War”.
British composer Nainita Desai is named Breakthrough Composer of the Year, having enjoyed the most high-profile year of her career to date by far in 2019. Desai especially impressed members with her spectacular, colorful score for the nature film “Untamed Romania,” which was nominated in the Documentary category. IFMCA member Charlie Brigden called Untamed Romania ‘an impressive score that instantly grabs you in its talons and takes you on a swift journey,’ while IFMCA member Steven Kennedy called Desai herself ‘a rising voice in the film music scene’. Her other scores in 2019 included the Oscar-nominated Syrian civil war documentary “For Sama,” the Anglo-Indian thriller “Darkness Visible”, the WWII-set action drama “Enemy Within”, and the video game “Telling Lies”.
The various other genre awards are won by: Alexandre Desplat for his sumptuous score for the period literary drama “Little Women”; Michael Giacchino for his music for director Taika Waititi’s satirical Nazi-era comedy “Jojo Rabbit”; Thomas Newman for his spectacular musical contribution to the World War I action-drama “1917”; John Powell for his music for the third and final entry in the How to Train Your Dragon series, “The Hidden World”; and Steven Price for his expansive orchestral score for the nature documentary “Our Planet”.
In the non-film categories, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir won for her innovative score for the critically acclaimed TV series “Chernobyl,” while composer Neal Acree wins the award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media for his dynamic, imposing score for the action-adventure survival game “Rend”.
Burbank, California-based La-La Land Records is named Film Music Record Label of the Year, recognition their ongoing excellence in restoring and releasing the most beloved film scores of the past. Producers Roger Feigelson and Douglas Fake of Intrada Records receive the Archival Award for their new recording of Dimitri Tiomkin’s classic score for the 1954 noir thriller “Dial M for Murder,” conducted by William Stromberg with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In the Compilation category, the award goes to producer Bernhard Güttler of the Deutsche Grammophon label for “Across the Stars,” a new compilation of classic John Williams film music pieces re-arranged for virtuoso violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, conducted by Williams himself with the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles.
The winners are:
FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – RE-RELEASE OR RE-RECORDING
BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – COMPILATION
FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
THE ROBERTO ASCHERI SPECIAL AWARD
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The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing and broadcasting about original film, television and game music.
Since its inception the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 65 members from countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Previous IFMCA Score of the Year Awards have been awarded to John Powell’s “Solo” in 2018, Jonny Greenwood’s “Phantom Thread” in 2017, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s “Arrival” in 2016, John Williams’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015, Hans Zimmer’s “Interstellar” in 2014, Abel Korzeniowski’s “Romeo & Juliet” in 2013, Mychael Danna’s “Life of Pi” in 2012, John Williams’s “War Horse” in 2011, John Powell’s “How to Train Your Dragon” in 2010, Michael Giacchino’s “Up” in 2009, Alexandre Desplat’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” in 2008, Dario Marianelli’s “Atonement” in 2007, James Newton Howard’s “Lady in the Water” in 2006, John Williams’s “Memoirs of a Geisha” in 2005, and Michael Giacchino’s “The Incredibles” in 2004.
For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association go to http://www.filmmusiccritics.org, visit our Facebook page, find us on YouTube, follow us on Twitter @ifmca, or contact us at press@filmmusiccritics.org.
Awards left to right:
Society of Composers and Lyricists/Bafta/Critics Choice/Emmy/Golden Globe/Oscar
Her surname may be unpronounceable to many but the award-winning success of her terrific score for Joker cannot be ignored. You either hate and dismiss it or like me, think it is one of the best ever and embrace it. It would seem that there is no middle ground with this one and thankfully it also seems the cheers outnumbered the boos.
Joker is a soundtrack for the age, and at last, firmly signals that a score does not have to be symphonic or melodic. Above all else what it does have to be/do is fit the film like a glove. I am not saying that the film itself would not have received the plaudits it has if Icelandic composer Hildur Gudnadottir had not done the score, Joaquin Phoenix alone would have elevated this film as would the inclusive direction of Todd Phillips. The score was another character playing a vital and unforgettable role namely the echo of all that was happening inside Joker’s fractured mind.
I saw the film in a packed cinema, at the end we all slowly shuffled out and not one single person said a word for quite a while. It had high impact and for me, being a soundtrack enthusiast for many years, her closing music stayed in my head for some time. Imagine watching the film without Gudnadottir’s participation, it would be difficult to imagine such is the symbiotic nature of her composition.
Over the past few weeks, I have read many comments about ‘why is she winning awards for her work – for Joker and her superb score for the TV series Chernobyl. It has been uncomfortable to read at times. I am sure some of it is down to the usual age-old question- ‘is this music or just noise’? ‘Well it’s much more than noise, it’s a state of mind and that’s exactly what this film was all about. The tortured and twisted mind of a comic book character who is reacting to the evils of a society in a world we are all aware of. Serious stuff that needed a serious slug of music to enhance Joker’s breakdown [or transference].
Another reason I write is to applaud the sheer number of Awards Gudnadottir has garnered, not just the ones I have mentioned but numerous others, plus we cannot ignore the history that’s been made. She is the first woman to win in the best original score category since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences combined all of the score categories into one in 2000.
And she is one of only seven women to be nominated in any score composition category, only three have won. Previously, Marilyn Bergman won an Oscar for composing for “Yentl” alongside Michel Legrand and Alan Bergman, Rachel Portman won for “Emma” and Anne Dudley won for “The Full Monty.”
After thanking her family and collaborators, Hildur ended her Oscar acceptance speech by saying “To the girls, to the women, to the mothers, to the daughters who hear the music bubbling within: please, speak up. We need to hear your voices.”
WELL DONE HILDUR!
