Category: Awards

The IFMCA 2017 AWARD NOMINATIONS

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INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED; MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS FOR ALEXANDRE DESPLAT, MICHAEL GIACCHINO, DANIEL PEMBERTON, JOHN WILLIAMS

FEBRUARY 8, 2018. The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2017, for the 14th annual IFMCA Awards. In a wide open field, the most nominated composers are Alexandre Desplat and Daniel Pemberton, who both received four nominations, Michael Giacchino, who received five nominations, and John Williams, who received six nominations for new work, plus an additional three for archival re-releases of some of his classic scores.

56-year old Frenchman Alexandre Desplat is nominated for his work on two scores – director Guillermo Del Toro’s critically acclaimed monster movie romance “The Shape of Water,” and director Luc Besson’s epic space fantasy “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” – and is one of the five nominees for Composer of the Year. IFMCA member James Southall said that “The Shape of Water” was “yet another from the top drawer of Desplat,” and went on to describe him as “one of the most consistently impressive film composers of the last couple of decades,” who has “managed to be so successful without having to water down his highly-distinctive musical voice at all”. Desplat previously received IFMCA Score of the Year honors in 2008 for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. His other major scores in 2017 include director George Clooney’s satirical racial drama ‘”Suburbicon,” and the French-language comedy-drama “D”Après Une Histoire Vraie,” directed by Roman Polanski.

Daniel Pemberton, the 40-year-old English composer, impressed IFMCA members particularly with his scores for two films: Ridley Scott’s “All the Money in the World,” about the true-life kidnapping of the grandson of billionaire J. Paul Getty in 1973, and “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” an anarchic re-imagining of the early life of the mythical king growing up in Roman Britain, by director Guy Ritchie. Pemberton, who is also one of the five nominees for Composer of the Year, impressed IFMCA member Alan Rogers specifically, who heralded “King Arthur” as the “overall score of the year” and said that “the score is more rewarding with every listen”. Pemberton’s other significant works in 2017 include the political dramas “Molly’s Game” and “Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House,” and an episode of the sci-fi anthology series “Black Mirror” entitled “USS Callister”.

50-year-old New Jersey-born Michael Giacchino is lauded for two scores: Pixar’s lavish animated Mexican-themed fantasy “Coco,” and the third film in the blockbuster Planet of the Apes trilogy, “War for the Planet of the Apes”. IFMCA member Mihnea Manduteanu said that “Coco” had “effervescence and passion” and was “inspirational, emotional and fun at the same time,” while IFMCA member James Southall said that “War for the Planet of the Apes” was “not just the best film music [Giacchino has] ever written” but that “the manner of the score, the construction of the dramatic narrative, [and] the very deliberate emotional prods … make it stand out as a special achievement”. Giacchino previously received Score of the Year honors in 2004 for “The Incredibles,” and in 2009 for “Up”. He is also one of the five nominees for Composer of the Year this year, having also written the scores for the intimate drama “The Book of Henry,” and the super hero sequel “Spider-Man: Homecoming” in 2017.

Despite now being 86 years of age, John Williams continues to be a force in the world of film music. Both of Williams’s 2017 scores are nominated for Score of the Year: director Steven Spielberg’s “The Post,” a political drama about the Pentagon Papers scandal that rocked Washington in the early 1970s, and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” director Rian Johnson’s blockbuster second installment in the new space fantasy series which has smashed box office records around the world. IFMCA member Christian Clemmensen described “The Post” as “an exercise in Williams minimalism wholly appropriate for the context of the historical drama” with a finale full of “Williams’s typical French horn majesty, denoting the significance of the occasion”. Meanwhile, IFMCA member Jon Broxton said that “the two major new themes [in The Last Jedi] combine perfectly with the older material,” with Williams providing “more than enough variation on those themes for them to still feel fresh and exciting”. He went on to say that “the new action material, especially in the fathiers sequence, and during the final Crait battle, is wonderfully entertaining and musically creative” and that the entire score is “a nostalgia bomb of the highest order”. Williams – the fourth of the five nominees for Composer of the Year – previously received Score of the Year honors for “Memoirs of a Geisha” in 2005, “War Horse” in 2011, and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015.

The fifth nominee for Score of the Year is Jonny Greeenwood’s music for the controversial and avant-garde romantic period drama “Phantom Thread,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. In describing the score, IFMCA member Jon Broxton wrote that it was a “quite masterful score from Greenwood, one which gets deeply under the skin of the damaged, potentially dangerous, but nevertheless mutually fulfilling relationship at the center of the story. The abstract, impressionistic, modernistic textures perfectly capture the torment that both characters at times feel, as well as their willful and often unpleasant personalities. Then, when he opens up his orchestra and performs the Phantom Thread theme with glorious melodrama, or when he writes elegant romantic music for what should be the dreadful finale, the whole thing simply soars”.

The fifth composer vying for the title of Composer of the Year is Benjamin Wallfisch, whose astonishing work in 2017 included writing the music for the horror sequel “Annabelle: Creation,” the sweeping historical drama “Bitter Harvest,” the atmospheric thriller “A Cure for Wellness,” the new adaptation of Stephen King’s “It,” and the optimistic and celebratory documentary “Mully,” as well as working with Hans Zimmer on “Blade Runner 2049” and “Dunkirk”. IFMCA member Kaya Savas called “It” “the backbone that makes us emotionally connect to our protagonists”. IFMCA member Ley Bricknell described “A Cure for Wellness” as “totally compelling” with “an overwhelming sense of fear and madness”. IFMCA member Peter Simons said that “Bitter Harvest” was a “rich orchestral score with lush themes … a wonderful pastoral tone to it, and a gorgeous main theme”.

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 and exciting group. American composer Michael Abels wrote the Swahili-inflected score for the racially charged cult horror hit “Get Out”. German composer Anne-Kathrin Dern wrote two vastly different but no less impressive scores – one for the sweeping Chinese drama “The Jade Pendant,” and one for the German children’s film “Hexe Lilli Rettet Weihnachten”. Cypriot composer George Kallis had three enormously impressive scores in 2017, including the children’s fantasy “Albion: The Enchanted Stallion,” the historical drama “The Black Prince,” and the Russian fantasy epic “Posledni Bogatyr/The Last Warrior”. Spanish composer Alejandro Vivas joined the ever-growing list of outstanding Iberian musicians with his score for the WWII drama “El Jugador de Ajedrez/The Chess Player,” while Brit Christopher Willis channeled Prokofiev and Shostakovich in his score for the satirical comedy “The Death of Stalin”.

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 Cyrille Aufort (“Knock,” Comedy), French composer Olivier Derivière (“Get Even,” Game), French composer Pascal Gaigne (“Plan de Fuga,” Action/Adventure/Thriller), Spanish composer David García Díaz (“Rime,” Game), Argentine composer Federico Jusid (“Tiempos de Guerra,” Television), and Japanese composers Yôko Kanno (“Onna Jôshu Naotora,” Television) and Yasunori Mitsuda (“Valkyria: Azure Revolution,” Game).

Also worth noting in 2017 is the larger number of women composers and film music professionals amongst the nominees; in addition to breakthrough composer nominee Anne-Kathrin Dern and television nominee Yôko Kanno, other female nominees include Rachel Portman (“Their Finest,” Comedy) and Debbie Wiseman (“Live at the Barbican,” Compilation), as well as writer Julie Kirgo, Sony Classical album producer Laura Zsank, and graphic designer Kay Marshall.

Several other composers are receiving their first ever IFMCA Award nominations this year, including Andrew Cottee (“The Orville,” Television), David Fleming (“Blue Planet II,” Documentary), Philip Glass (“Jane,” Documentary), and Steve Mazzaro (“The Boss Baby,” Composition).

The International Film Music Critics Association will announce the winners of the 14th IFMCA Awards on February 22, 2018.

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THE 2017 IFMCA AWARD NOMINEES

SCORE OF THE YEAR

  • PHANTOM THREAD, music by Jonny Greenwood
  • THE POST, music by John Williams
  • THE SHAPE OF WATER, music by Alexandre Desplat
  • STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, music by John Williams
  • WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, music by Michael Giacchino

COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

  • ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
  • MICHAEL GIACCHINO
  • DANIEL PEMBERTON
  • BENJAMIN WALLFISCH
  • JOHN WILLIAMS

BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

  • MICHAEL ABELS
  • ANNE-KATHRIN DERN
  • GEORGE KALLIS
  • ALEJANDRO VIVAS
  • CHRISTOPHER WILLIS

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM

  • ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD, music by Daniel Pemberton
  • DARKEST HOUR, music by Dario Marianelli
  • MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, music by Patrick Doyle
  • PHANTOM THREAD, music by Jonny Greenwood
  • THE POST, music by John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM

  • THE DEATH OF STALIN, music by Christopher Willis
  • DOWNSIZING, music by Rolfe Kent
  • KNOCK, music by Cyrille Aufort
  • PADDINGTON 2, music by Dario Marianelli
  • THEIR FINEST, music by Rachel Portman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM

  • A CURE FOR WELLNESS, music by Benjamin Wallfisch
  • JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, music by Henry Jackman
  • KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD, music by Daniel Pemberton
  • PLAN DE FUGA, music by Pascal Gaigne
  • THE RENDEZVOUS, music by Austin Wintory

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM

  • GET OUT, music by Michael Abels
  • THE SHAPE OF WATER, music by Alexandre Desplat
  • STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, music by John Williams
  • VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS, music by Alexandre Desplat
  • WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, music by Michael Giacchino

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FILM

  • CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE, music by Theodore Shapiro
  • COCO, music by Michael Giacchino
  • THE EMOJI MOVIE, music by Patrick Doyle
  • FERDINAND, music by John Powell
  • LOVING VINCENT, music by Clint Mansell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY

  • BLUE PLANET II, music by Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea, and David Fleming
  • BOSTON, music by Jeff Beal
  • EARTH: ONE AMAZING DAY, music by Alex Heffes
  • JANE, music by Philip Glass
  • MULLY, music by Benjamin Wallfisch

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION

  • ALIAS GRACE, music by Jeff Danna and Mychael Danna
  • GAME OF THRONES, music by Ramin Djawadi
  • ONNA JÔSHU NAOTORA, music by Yôko Kanno
  • THE ORVILLE, music by Bruce Broughton, John Debney, Joel McNeely, and Andrew Cottee
  • TIEMPOS DE GUERRA, music by Federico Jusid

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA

  • DEFORMERS, music by Austin Wintory
  • DIVIDE, music by Chris Tilton
  • GET EVEN, music by Olivier Deriviére
  • RIME, music by David García Díaz
  • VALKYRIA: AZURE REVOLUTION, music by Yasunori Mitsuda

BEST NEW RELEASE, RE-RELEASE OR RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE

  • BEN-HUR, music by Miklós Rózsa; The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus conducted by Nic Raine; album produced by James Fitzpatrick; liner notes by Frank K. De Wald; album art direction by James Fitzpatrick, Gareth Bevan, and Nic Finch (Tadlow)
  • CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino; liner notes by Mike Matessino; album art direction by Jim Titus (La-La Land)
  • DAMNATION ALLEY, music by Jerry Goldsmith; album produced by Nick Redman and Mike Matessino; liner notes by Julie Kirgo; album art direction by Kay Marshall (Intrada)
  • DUEL IN THE SUN, music by Dimitri Tiomkin; The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus conducted by Nic Raine; album produced by James Fitzpatrick; liner notes by Frank K. De Wald; album art direction by Jim Titus (Tadlow/Prometheus)
  • E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino and Bruce Botnick; liner notes by Mike Matessino; album art direction by Jim Titus (La-La Land)

BEST FILM MUSIC COMPILATION ALBUM

  • CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS: THE FRANZ WAXMAN COLLECTION, music by Franz Waxman; album produced by Douglass Fake; liner notes by Frank K. De Wald; album art direction by Kay Marshall and Joe Sikoryak (Intrada)
  • DEBBIE WISEMAN: LIVE AT THE BARBICAN, music by Debbie Wiseman; The Orchestra of the Guildhall School conducted by Debbie Wiseman; album produced by Debbie Wiseman, Reynold Da Silva, David Stoner, and Pete Compton; liner notes by Debbie Wiseman; album art direction by Stuart Ford (Silva Screen)
  • JOHN WILLIAMS AND STEVEN SPIELBERG: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, music by John Williams; album produced by Laura Zsaka and Jamie Richardson; liner notes by Jon Burlingame; album art direction by Amelia Tubb (Sony Classical)
  • THRILLER, music by Jerry Goldsmith; The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nic Raine; album produced by James Fitzpatrick and Leigh Phillips; liner notes by Jon Burlingame; album art direction by Matthew Wright and Nic Finch (Tadlow)
  • THE WILD WILD WEST, music by Various Composers; album produced by Jon Burlingame; liner notes by Jon Burlingame; album art direction by Jim Titus (La-La Land)

FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR

  • CALDERA RECORDS, Stephan Eicke
  • INTRADA RECORDS, Douglass Fake and Roger Feigelson
  • LA-LA LAND RECORDS, MV Gerhard and Matt Verboys
  • QUARTET RECORDS, José M. Benitez
  • TADLOW MUSIC, James Fitzpatrick

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

  • “End Credits” from WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, music by Michael Giacchino
  • “Finale” from STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, music by John Williams
  • “Growing Up in Londinium” from KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD, music by Daniel Pemberton
  • “Justice” from MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, music by Patrick Doyle
  • “Love” from THE BOSS BABY, music by Hans Zimmer, Steve Mazzaro, and Conrad Pope

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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 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 www.filmmusiccritics.org, visit our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter @ifmca, or contact us at press@filmmusiccritics.org.

FILMIC SOUNDTRACK AWARDS 2017

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2017 took it’s time to warm up that’s for sure but it did get there and of course there was the later/new year scores pushed through in time for the awards season. The category which seemed to ‘swell’ in size was TV which is hardly surprising given the cross platform ways you can watch the many channels on offer. My choices were clear cut this year with the only soul searching being between my number 1 and 2 Best Scores of the year, this did produce a lot of dithering and re-listening. Both scores painted ‘grand’ worlds and both composers reached high levels of opulence to fill the canvases. In the end the decision [partly because it was sooooo close I just had to make a decision] went to Daniel Pemberton’s score because he also wove in a twisted element to fine tune the madness of the films story. Well done Mr. Pemberton

The votes below were compiled for the International Film Music Critics Association who will be releasing the the list of nominations February 8th.

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

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  1. All The Money In The World [Daniel Pemberton]
  2. Phantom Thread [Jonny Greenwood]
  3. Ali’s Wedding [Nigel Westlake]
  4. Murder On the Orient Express [Patrick Doyle]
  5. Rebel In The Rye [Bear McCreary]

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR DRAMA

  • All the Money In the World – Daniel Pemberton
  • Phantom Thread – Jonny Greenwood
  • Murder On the Orient Express
  • Rebel In the Rye – Bear McCreary
  • The Ballad of Lefty Brown – H Scott Salinas

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR COMEDY

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  1. Ali’s Wedding – Nigel Westlake
  2. The Hitman’s Bodyguard – Atli Ovarsson
  3. The Comedian – The Comedian – Terence Blanchard
  4. The Meyerowitz Stories – Randy Newman
  5. Wilson – Jon Brion

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM

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  1. Contratiemopo – Fernando Velazquez  
  2. Good Time – Daniel Lopatin
  3. King Arthur and the Legend of the Sword – Daniel Pemberton
  4. Kings Bay – Bjonar Christoffersen & Herman Christoffosen
  5. Plan de Fuga – Pascal Gaigne

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM

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  1. Anabelle Creation – Benjamin Wallfisch
  2. The Last Warrior – George Kallis
  3. Get Out – Michael Abels
  4. Prevenge – Toydrum
  5. Alien Covenent – Jed Kurzel

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATION SCORE

index

  1. Captain Underpants – Theordore Shapiro
  2. Coco – Michael Gioachinno
  3. The Lego Batman Movie – Lorne Balfe
  4. Tade Jones 2: El Secreto De Rey Midas – Zavarias M. De La Riva
  5. Richard the Stork – Eric Neveux

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY

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  1. Blue Planet 2 – Hans Zimmer/Jacob Shea/David Fleming
  2. The Putin Interviews – Jeff Beale
  3. Intenet To Destroy – Serj Tankian
  4. Waiting For Waldemar [though can’t see it listed here]
  5. Mark Felt: the Man Who Bought Doen The Whitehouse – Daniel Pemberton

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A TV SERIES
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  1. Harlots – Rael Jones
  2. Feud:Bette and Joan – Mac Quayle
  3. The Handmaid’s Tale – Adam Jones
  4. Taboo – Max Ritcher
  5. Emerald City – Trevor Morris

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
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  1. Horizen Zero Dawn – Joris de Man/Niel Van der Lees
  2. Deformers – Austin Wintory
  3. Get Even – Olivier Deriviere
  4. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle – Grant Kirkhope
  5. The Invisable Hours – Chris Valasco

BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – [RE-RELEASE OR RE-RECORDING]
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  1. Ben Hur – Miklos Rozsa
  2. Duel In the Sun – Dimitri Tiomkin
  3. Puppet On A Chain – Piero Piccioni
  4. On Golden Pond – Dave Grusin
  5. Twister – Mark Mancina

BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – COMPILATION
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  1. Horror Hammer Classics 1958- 1974 – Silva Screen
  2. Live at the Barbican Debbie Wiseman – Silva Screen
  3. Captain Courageous:The Franz Waxman Collection – Intrada
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World Soundtrack Academy announces first wave of nominees for the 17th WSAwards

Published on 21/08/2017

This first wave of the 2017 World Soundtrack Award Nominees includes multiple Academy Award® winners and nominees, a past Discovery of the Year nominee, and the best of contemporary film and television music.

The nominees for Best Film Composer are 2017 Academy Award® winner Justin Hurwitz, AcademyAward® nominees Mica Levi, Nicholas Britell, Dustin O’Halloran and Jóhann Jóhannsson. The Television Composer of the Year nominees include upcoming & popular composers such as duo Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, Ramin Djawadi, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Dave Porter and Mac Quayle.

As previously announced, The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to David Shire (‘The Conversation’, ‘All the President’s Men’) as part of the #WSAwards celebration of jazz this year. Following the award ceremony, a selection of Terence Blanchard’s work (‘Mo’ Better Blues’, ‘Malcolm X’, ‘25th Hour’) will be performed by Brussels Philharmonic and additional jazz soloists, conducted by Film Fest Gent’s music director Dirk Brossé. Film Fest Gent will release an exclusive album with Blanchard’s work the same week. Discovery of 2016 Joe Kraemer (‘The Way of the Gun’, ‘Jack Reacher’, ‘Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation’) will also be performing that evening.

Film Fest Gent’s artistic director Patrick Duynslaegher about the selection: “This year’s nominations reflect the incredible wide range of style and talent in contemporary scoring for film and television, with a great line-up of new and established composers to celebrate the art and craft of film & television music.”
THE NOMINEES ARE: 

Best Film Composer of the Year
Nicholas Britell: ‘Moonlight’
Justin Hurwitz: ‘La La Land’
Jóhann Jóhannsson: ‘Arrival’
Mica Levi: ‘Jackie’, ‘Marjorie Prime’
Dustin O’Halloran: ‘Lion’ (co-composed by Hauschka), ‘In the Shadow of Iris’ (co-composed by Adam Wiltzie)

Best TV Composer of the Year
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein: ‘Stranger Things’
Ramin Djawadi: ‘Westworld’, ‘Prison Break: Resurrection’, ‘The Strain’
Rupert Gregson-Williams: ‘The Crown’
Dave Porter: ‘Better Call Saul’, ‘The Blacklist’, ‘The Blacklist: Redemption’
Mac Quayle: ‘Feud: Bette & Joan’, ‘Mr. Robot’, ‘Scream Queens’

Best Original Song written directly for a Film
Can’t Stop the Feeling
from ‘Trolls’
music & Llyrics by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Shellback
performers include o.a. Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, James Corden and Zooey Deschanel

City of Stars
from ‘La La Land’
music by Justin Hurwitz
lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
performed by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone

How Far I’ll Go
from ‘Moana’
music & lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
performed by Auli’i Cravalho

Never Give Up
from ‘Lion’
music & lyrics by Sia Furler and Greg Kurstin
performed by Sia

Runnin’
from ‘Hidden Figures’
music & lyrics by Pharrell Williams
performed by Pharrell Williams

The World Soundtrack Academy aims at supporting film and television music, sound design, composers and its worldwide promotion. In 17 year’s time, the membership of the WSAcademy has grown into a group of 370 international film music professionals deciding on the nominees through several rounds of voting. The Academy will announce the nominees for Discovery of the Year, Best Original Score for a Belgian Production and the Sabam Award for Best Young International Composer mid-September. The audience can also nominate their favorite score by voting for the Public Choice Award on the WSAwards website until September 9th 2017.

17th World Soundtrack Awards 
18 October 2017 – WSAwards Gala & Concert: Tickets
19 October 2017 – Symphonic Jazz Concert: Tickets

International Film Music Critics Association Soundtrack Awards 2016

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As a member of the IFMCA I am delighted to share with you the 2016 Soundtrack Awards as voted for by all it’s members.

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INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2016 IFMCA AWARDS; “ARRIVAL” TAKES SCORE OF THE YEAR, JUSTIN HURWITZ AND “LA LA LAND” WINS THREE OTHERS

FEBRUARY 23, 2017 — The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of winners for excellence in musical scoring in 2016, in the 2016 IFMCA Awards.

The award for Score of the Year goes to Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson for his work on the critically acclaimed science fiction drama “Arrival,” directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. IFMCA member Jon Broxton said that “Jóhannsson’s approach to solving the film’s musical problems [is] absolutely fascinating, and the way he was able to musically convey some of the film’s more challenging cerebral ideas involving language and communication is astonishingly accomplished,” while IFMCA member Daniel Schweiger said that Jóhannsson “brilliantly captures both a sense of wonder and fear with beholding the mind-boggling, verbally-scrambled unknown, as whale cry motifs join with alternately moaning and chattering voices, backed by a strong orchestral sound that serves as a powerful universal musical translator in a way that’s both harmonically understandable, and profoundly strange.” This is the first IFMCA Award win of Jóhannsson’s career, him having previously been nominated for Best Original Score for a Drama Film for “The Theory of Everything” in 2014.

Composer Michael Giacchino is named Composer of the Year for the second year in a row, having written four outstanding works spanning multiple genres in the past year. His work in 2016 included the action-packed Marvel comic book fantasy film “Doctor Strange,” the socially aware Disney animated film “Zootopia,” the third installment of the rebooted Star Trek franchise “Star Trek Beyond,” and the score for the first of the Star Wars spinoff films, “Rogue One”. IFMCA member James Southall called “Rogue One” “a very impressive achievement indeed,” while IFMCA member Christian Clemmensen described “Doctor Strange” as “a mystical, optimistic, and smart superhero score with an alluring primary identity and generally excellent combination of electronic and ethnic accents with standard orchestral and choral elements.” This marks the fourth time Giacchino has been named Composer of the Year, following his previous wins in 2004, 2009, and 2015.

Composer Justin Hurwitz won three awards – Breakthrough Composer of the Year, Best Original Score for a Comedy Film, and Film Music Composition of the Year – all for his work on the massively popular and critically acclaimed musical comedy-drama “La La Land” directed by Damian Chazelle, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. “La La Land” is only the second full theatrical score of Hurwitz’s career, and for it he wrote a jazz-inspired orchestral score, and half a dozen original songs (with songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul), the melodies of which flow through the majority of the underscore. IFMCA member Mihnea Manduteanu called “La La Land” “delightful and playful” and claimed that it captures “what it means to fall in love, to play, to dream,” while IFMCA member Jon Broxton heralded the score as “a masterpiece”.

The various other genre awards are won by Abel Korzeniowski for his music for the darkly stylish revenge drama “Nocturnal Animals”; Christopher Young for his wildly exciting action score for the Chinese historical adventure “Xi You Ji Zhi: Sun Wukong San Da Baigu Jing [The Monkey King 2]”; James Newton Howard for his score for lush and whimsical fantasy score for the Harry Potter prequel “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”; Laurent Perez del Mar for his evocative, emotional music for the French animated film “La Tortue Rouge [The Red Turtle]”; and Panu Aaltio for his wonderful music for the Finnish nature documentary “Järven Tarina [Tale of a Lake]”.

In the non-film categories, composer Ramin Djawadi wins the award for Best Original Score for a Television Series for his magnificent work on the sixth series of the critically acclaimed HBO fantasy drama “Game of Thrones,” while composer Austin Wintory wins the award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media for the second year in a row, this time for his work on the meditative, dream-like undersea adventure game “Abzû”.

Oakland, California-based Intrada Records is named Film Music Record Label of the Year in recognition of their ongoing excellence in restoring and releasing the most beloved film scores of the past. They were also honored with the award for Best New Archival Release – Re-Release or Re-Recording of an Existing Score for their lavish expanded release of Elmer Bernstein’s classic 1956 score “The Ten Commandments,” which IFMCA member Craig Lysy described as “one of the finest [scores] ever written and a glorious example of Golden Age film scores”. Finally, Burbank, California-based La La Land Records and producer Mike Matessino wins the award for Best New Archival Release – Compilation for their superb re-mastered release of “The John Williams Jurassic Park Collection”, a compilation of the timeless 1990s dinosaur adventure scores “Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World”.

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COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
• Arrival, music by Jóhann Jóhannsson

COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• Michael Giacchino

BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• Justin Hurwitz

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
• “Epilogue” from La La Land, music by Justin Hurwitz

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
• Nocturnal Animals, music by Abel Korzeniowski

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
• La La Land, music by Justin Hurwitz

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM
• Xi You Ji Zhi: Sun Wukong San Da Baigu Jing [The Monkey King 2], music by Christopher Young

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, music by James Newton Howard

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
• La Tortue Rouge [The Red Turtle], music by Laurent Perez del Mar

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY
• Järven Tarina [Tale of a Lake], music by Panu Aaltio

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A TELEVISION SERIES
• Game of Thrones, music by Ramin Djawadi

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
• Abzû, music by Austin Wintory

BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – RE-RELEASE OR RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE
• The Ten Commandments, music by Elmer Bernstein; album produced by Douglass Fake and Roger Feigelson; liner notes by Frank K. De Wald; album art direction by Joe Sikoryak (Intrada)

BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – COMPILATION
• The John Williams Jurassic Park Collection, music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino; liner notes by Mike Matessino; album art direction by Jim Titus (La-La Land)

FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
• Intrada Records, Douglass Fake, Roger Feigelson

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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, Chile, China, 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 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 www.filmmusiccritics.org, visit our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter @ifmca, or contact us at press@filmmusiccritics.org.

FILMIC SOUNDTRACK AWARDS 2016

~ Filmic Tracks ~ 1 Comment

It feels that there were more soundtracks than ever last year!! Yippee, I am inclined to write but when it comes down to voting for the IFMCA  it became a never ending quest to reduce the list down to the very best. I was so close to the wire as well with meeting the deadline but I made it. Here is the cream of the cream in my humble opinion.

Film Score of the Year
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High Rise – Clint Mansell
The Light Between The Oceans – Alexandre Desplat
Dark Waves [Bellerofonte] – Alexander Cimini
Julieta – Alberto Iglasias
Nocturnal Animals – Abel Korzeniowski
I listened to High Rise very early on in the year on in 2016 and it’s the soundtrack I have returned to the most. Both this and Dark waves are reviewed in this blog.

Film Composer of the Year
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Fernando Velazquez
Alexander Cimini
Rachel Portman
John Debney
Mark Korven
The sheer versatility of Velazquez’s 2016 scores has been mind blowing. Take Guernica, A Monster Calls and Ozzy for starters!

Breakthrough Composer of the Year
nicholas-britell
Nicholas Britell
Simon Franglen
Justin Hurwitz
E Dylan
Daniel Belardinelli
Britell is on the up with scores such as Free State of Jones and Moonlight, watch this space!

Best Original Score for a Drama Film
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High Rise – Clint Mansell
The Light Between The Oceans – Alexandre Desplat
Julieta – Alberto Iglasias
Nocturnal Animals – Abel Korzeinowski
Hacksaw Ridge – Rupert Gregson-Williams
Yep that’s right, four of my Top Scores of the Year are in the Best Drama category as well as Best of the Year. Gregson-William’s triumphant score well deserves to be in this category.

Best Original Score for a Comedy Film
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The Nice Guys – John Ottman and David Buckley
Dad’s Army – Charlie Mole
Tordenskold & Kold – Henrik Skram
Eddie The Eagle – Matthew Margeson
Swiss Army Man
Anyone who can near perfect score a soundtrack to match the scores of the 70’s is OK in my book.

Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
the-jungle-book-soundtrack
The Jungle Book – John Debney
The Magnificent Seven – James Horner & Simon Franglen
The Legend of Tarzan – Rupert Gregson-Williams
Made In France – Robin Coudert
Criminal – Brian Tyler & Keith Power Tussled with the first 2 but Debney’s score is just so luscious in parts!

Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film
k73
Dark Waves [Bellerofonte] – Alexander Cimini
Witch – Marl Korven
Arrival – Johann Johannsson
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them – James Newton Howard
Gods of Egypt – Marco Beltrami
Cimini’s score is simply beautiful.

Best Original Score for an Animated Score
kubo-and-the-two-strings
Kubo and the Two Strings – Dario Marianelli
Tortue Rouge – Laurent Perez del Mar
Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom – George Streicher
Ice Age Collision Course – John Debney
Bilal: A New Breed of Hero – Atli Ovarsson
Superb, Kubo is now officially one of my all time favourite animation film scores.

Best Score for a Documentary
1916
1916 The Irish Rebelleion – Patrick Cassidy
The Seventh Fire – Nicholas Britell
Before The Flood – music by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Gustavo
Santaoalla & Mogwai
Ester Blenda – Frid & Frid

Best Original Score for a Television Score
war-and-peace
War & Peace
The Night Manager – Victor Reyes
Stranger Things – Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein
House of Cards [Series 4] – Jeff beal
The Crown – Rupert Gregson – Williams

IFMCA AWARDS 2015

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As a member of the International Film Music Critics Association I am delighted to share with you our Soundtrack Awards for 2015.

ifmca-logo

INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2015 IFMCA AWARDS; JOHN WILLIAMS WINS THREE AWARDS FOR STAR WARS

theforceawakensThe International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of winners for excellence in musical scoring in 2015, in the 2015 IFMCA Awards.

The award for Score of the Year goes to composer John Williams for his work on the massively popular and successful epic science fiction fantasy “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” from director J. J. Abrams. IFMCA member James Southall said that “the Force remains strong in John Williams and long may it continue” and called the score “glorious,” while IFMCA member Christian Clemmensen called the score “a powerfully melodic and excitingly complex piece of grand artistry from an era of greatness that only John Williams in top form could deliver.” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is also named Best Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film, and wins the Film Music Composition of the Year award for the film’s conclusive end credits suite, “The Jedi Steps and Finale”. These are the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth IFMCA Awards of Williams’s career, and it marks the third time he has been awarded Score of the Year, after “Memoirs of a Geisha” in 2005, and “War Horse” in 2011.

Composer Michael Giacchino is named Composer of the Year, having written four outstanding works spanning multiple genres in the past year. His work in 2015 includes scoring the emotional Disney/Pixar film “Inside Out,” which is also named Best Score for an Animated Film; the ambitious science fiction adventure “Jupiter Ascending,” which was nominated in multiple genres including Score of the Year; the fantastical adventure “Tomorrowland,” which was nominated for Film Music Composition of the Year; and the massively successful action-adventure “Jurassic World,” which built on John Williams’s score for the first film featuring genetically modified dinosaurs running amok in a lavish theme park. IFMCA member Karol Krok called “Inside Out” “enjoyable and endearing,” while IFMCA member Charlie Brigden said that “Jurassic World” “displays just how much of a command [Giacchino] has over a modern symphony”. These are the thirteenth and fourteenth IFMCA Awards of Giacchino’s career, and it marks the third time he has been named Composer of the Year, following his previous wins in 2004 and 2009.

The IFMCA’s ongoing recognition of emerging talent in the film music world this year spotlights Italian composer Maurizio Malagnini, who is named Breakthrough Composer of the Year. Malagnini has been working primarily in world of British television since he first emerged onto the scene in 2010, writing scores for popular shows such as “Muddle Earth,” “The Body Farm,” “The Paradise,” and “Call the Midwife,” but really impressed IFMCA members this year with his first major film score for a new version of the classic Peter Pan story, “Peter & Wendy”. IFMCA member Jon Broxton called “Peter & Wendy” “undoubtedly one of the best scores of 2015”, while IFMCA member Peter Simons described the score as being “so infectious, so colourful, playful and utterly charming”.

The various other genre awards are won by James Horner for the epic Chinese-language drama “Wolf Totem”; Douglas Pipes for the mischievous and malevolent Christmas comedy “Krampus”; Joe Kraemer for the exciting retro action score for “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”; and Steven Price for his music for the BBC nature documentary “The Hunt”.

In the non-film categories, Argentine composer Federico Jusid wins the award for Best Original Score for a Television Series for the third year in a row, this time for his astonishing score for the Spanish historical TV drama “Carlos, Rey Emperador,” the sequel to the multi-award winning “Isabel,” while composer Austin Wintory wins the award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media for his groundbreaking work on “Assassin’s Creed” Syndicate”, a score which not only includes classical dances used as action cues, but also a number of original ‘murder ballads’ penned in collaboration with Australian musical comedy group Tripod.

Oakland, California-based Intrada Records is named Film Music Record Label of the Year in recognition of their ongoing excellence in restoring and releasing the most beloved film scores of the past, while film music historian and writer Jon Burlingame wins the Archival Compilation award for the wonderful box set of music from the original 1960s “Mission: Impossible” he produced for La-La Land Records. Interestingly, both the Archival Re-Release and Re-Recording categories are won by different versions of Bernard Herrmann’s 1976 score for the psychological thriller “Obsession” – firstly, the outstanding release of the original score tracks by French label Music Box Records and producers George Litto, Laurent Lafarge, and Cyril Durand-Roger; and secondly, the magnificent re-recording of the entire score by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nic Raine, and produced by James Fitzpatrick for Tadlow Music.

Finally, the IFMCA has decided to bestow a rare Special Award on the late James Horner, for his classical work “Pas de Deux”. The piece is a double concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra, and was commissioned by the Norwegian brother/sister musical duo Mari Samuelsen and Hakon Samuelsen. The work was released through Mercury Classics and Universal Music in May 2015, and represented the first of several anticipated major excursions into pure classical music – what would have been a new and exciting phase in the composer’s musical career, especially since his first, abortive attempts in the late 1970s and early 1980s failed to ignite the public’s imagination. Sadly, with the composer’s tragic death in a plane crash in June, it also represents ‘what might have been,’ and this award is intended to be a tribute in recognition the composer’s life and work, and all the great unheard music that died with him.

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COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens, music by John Williams

COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

  • Michael Giacchino

BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

  • Maurizio Malagnini

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

  • “The Jedi Steps and Finale” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, music by John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM

  • Wolf Totem, music by James Horner

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM

  • Krampus, music by Douglas Pipes

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM

  • Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, music by Joe Kraemer

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM

  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens, music by John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE

  • Inside Out, music by Michael Giacchino

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY

  • The Hunt, music by Steven Price

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A TELEVISION SERIES

  • Carlos, Rey Emperador, music by Federico Jusid

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA

  • Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, music by Austin Wintory

BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – RE-RELEASE OF AN EXISTING SCORE

  • Obsession; music by Bernard Herrmann, album produced by George Litto, Laurent Lafarge, and Cyril Durand-Roger, liner notes by Daniel Schweiger, album art direction by David Marques (Music Box)

BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE

  • Obsession; music by Bernard Herrmann, performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Nic Raine, album produced by James Fitzpatrick, liner notes by Christopher Husted, album art direction by Matthew Wright and Damien Doherty (Tadlow)

BEST NEW ARCHIVAL RELEASE – COMPILATION

  • Mission: Impossible – The Television Scores; music by Various Artists, album produced by Jon Burlingame, liner notes by Jon Burlingame, album art direction by Joe Sikoryak (La-La Land)

FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR

  • Intrada Records, Douglass Fake, Roger Feigelson

SPECIAL AWARD

  • Pas de Deux, classical work by James Horner, commissioned by violinist Mari Samuelsen and cellist Hakon Samuelsen

ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL Winner of the 1st Annual Wojciech Kilar Award

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Taken from http://kinetophone.com

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Krakow Film Music Festival | 27 – 31 MAY 2015

His oeuvre includes music composed for film, opera, ballet, symphony orchestras and theatre, as well as chamber music. He is one of the most versatile composers of contemporary music; winner of the Oscar, Golden Globe and World Soundtrack Award. We are proud to announce that the winner of the 1st annual Wojciech Kilar Award is Elliot Goldenthal.

On April 30, 2015 the Wojciech Kilar Award’s Expert Council, consisting of directors of the most important Polish cultural institutions, selected the winner of the first edition of the award established in 2014 by the Presidents of Krakow and Katowice. Its aim is primarily to honor and celebrate the memory of Wojciech Kilar, as well as emphasize the importance of the ethos of the composer in the interdisciplinary world of film. With the Award’s establishment, name and accomplishments of Wojciech Kilar, one of the most recognizable Polish composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, will gain a new international dimension.

The Award consists of a common fund for a recording session with the participation of any orchestra from Silesia and Krakow. This is the second important award granted at the Krakow Film Music Festival. Since 2013, the festival grants a special statuette to a FMF Young Talent Award winner, a young composer that has succeeded in winning the international competition in which the task is to compose music for film clips, animation or video games.

The Kilar Award is granted for the lifetime achievement to composers of film music who remain faithful to the traditional art of composing, write scores that in isolation from the image do not lose clarity, and efficiently use the language of music, producing rich and distinct colors, shades and textures in their work.

The criteria for the Wojciech Kilar Award turn away from the quest for industrialization and the primacy of special effects in film music soundtracks. Founding this Award is to a way to take part in the debate by juxtaposing the traditional art of composing film music with its assembly line, business-like alternative. The vast majority of composers producing music as if in a factory do not have direct contact with autonomous work.Often standing at the forefront, the composer is just the author of several themes that are harmonized, instrumented and prepared by a staff of anonymous musicians, says Robert Piaskowski, Artistic Director of the Krakow FMF, the originator of the Award. Our duty is to emphasize the importance and worth of film music often called the “new classic”.

The Expert Council of the Wojciech Kilar Award, from several renowned international names provided by the program team of the Film Music Festival, almost unanimously selected the winner of the 1st edition. It is Elliot Goldenthal, winner of the Oscar, Golden Globe and World Soundtrack Awards for Best Original Music for the film Frida (2002), directed by Julie Taymor. Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in the field of classical music, winner of two Golden Globes, three Grammy Awards, two Tony awards, three Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (CFCA),and six awards granted by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), including the ASCAP Founders Award in March 2015. The Kilar Award will therefore be granted to one of the most versatile composers of contemporary music, who has composed music for film, opera, ballet, symphony orchestras and theater, as well as chamber music. In his music, Goldenthal balances between dissonant, atonal music and classical harmony, often during a single phrase, blending traditional orchestral music with jazz and rock, as well as electronic music. He feels comfortable working on pieces extensive symphonically and chorally as well as more ambient and intimate, creating both traditional and unusual compositions. Goldenthal is highly valued for his unique, dark, and almostdense style. None of the contemporary composers of film music use their talent in creating works in such a variety of musical genres.

The Director of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa justified her choice with these words: He engages with his craft brilliantly and stands in line with such great composers as Wagner, Strauss, Mahler or Bruckner. My point primarily is about his thinking and understanding of form. His scores are dense and extremely professional; he maintains the balance between melody and harmony, creates a very personal narrative and style, and possesses strong understanding of the whole form. This is a truly novelistic musical narrative.

Editor-in-Chief of Polish Music Publishing Daniel Cichy said that, In his work, ElliotGoldenthal combines respect for tradition, humility in relation to the composer’s craft, and remarkable ability to connect with orchestras and to fully feel and understand the medium of film. Juggling styles and conventions with ease, frequently on the verge between aesthetic worlds, Goldenthal masterfully complements the film director’s vision, sometimes following in-line with it and almost illustrating the protagonists’ emotions, and other times standing in opposition to the film’s expression, creating a contrapuntal narrative painting with sound. Interestingly, however, despite being met with a diversity of styles and a variety of orchestrations as well as the need to intelligently embody ofthe film’s theme, genre and form, the composer always creates a coherent musical message. And this is a trait that distinguishes the most prominent and outstanding from the rest.

Elliot Goldenthal is perhaps best known for his film music scores to Titus (1999), Frida(2002), Across The Universe (2007), The Tempest (2010) and most recently AMidsummer Night’s Dream (2015) all directed by Julie Taymor, as well as films by Neil Jordan Interview with the Vampire (1994) and Michael Collins (1996), for which he received Oscar nominations. Among his other works, we may also list: Alien 3 (1992),Batman Forever (1995), Heat (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), The Butcher Boy (1997),Batman & Robin (1997), Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) and Public Enemies(2009).

In 1996, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra commissioned Goldenthal to compose the symphonic Fire Water Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam. A year later, for the American Ballet Theatre he wrote the ballet Othello, which premiered at the Metropolitan Opera. In 2013, Goldenthal recomposed music for the ballet to fit the needs of a new symphonic compositionOthello Symphony, which was recorded in Alvernia Studios with the AUKSO orchestra, conducted by Marek Mos. Othello will have its Revival Premiere as part of the American Ballet Theatre’s 75th anniversary season taking place at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York with four performances running May 19-21, 2015. In June 2006, the Los Angeles Opera premiered the opera Grendel directed by Julie Taymor with original music by Elliot Goldenthal, for which the composer received a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize in the category of music in 2007.

Goldenthal most recently composed the original music for an acclaimed production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Julie Taymor for Theatre for a New Audience in Fall 2013 which received four Drama Desk Nominations including outstanding music in a play. His Symphony in G Sharp Minor had its world premiere with the Pacific Symphony in Costa Mesa, California in May 2014, and received the Orange County Register’s Reger Award for “Best New Symphony.” An album of the symphony will be released in May 2015. 

A cinematic theatrical experience of A Midsummer Night’s Dream had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2014, directed by Taymor with original music by Goldenthal.

Goldenthal collaborated with virtuoso violinist Robert McDuffie and the McDuffie Center for Strings Ensemble (MCS) who premiered a new work by Goldenthal on in February 2015 at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City. Goldenthal composed original music and soundscapes for the Julie Taymor-directed play Grounded starring Anne Hathaway which opened on April 26 and runs through May 24 at the Public Theater in New York.

The Wojciech Kilar Award is sponsored by the Presidents of Krakow and Katowice and will be granted alternately in Krakow and Katowice. It will be presented for the first time on May 28, 2015 during the Polish Music Gala: Scoring4Wajda as part of the 8th Krakow Film Music Festival. The concert will be recorded live by the National Audiovisual Institute and Polish Television Channel 2.