Tag: IFMCA

IFMCA 2018 Nominations

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The votes are in. Below are the 2018 nominations for Best Scores. The International Film Music Critics Association will announce the winners of the 15th IFMCA Awards on February 21, 2019.

Shortly after this date, I will be publishing FILMIC TRACKS “Best of 2018”.

INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED; JAMES NEWTON HOWARD LEADS THE FIELD WITH FOUR NOMINATIONS

FEBRUARY 7, 2019. The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2018, for the 15th annual IFMCA Awards. In one of the most open fields in IFMCA history, composer James Newton Howard received the most nominations with four, closely followed by Nicholas Britell, Alexandre Desplat, Ludwig Göransson, Justin Hurwitz, and John Powell, who each received three.

67-year-old American composer James Newton Howard is nominated for his work on two scores – “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the second film in the Harry Potter spinoff series, and the controversial Jennifer Lawrence Cold War spy thriller “Red Sparrow” – and is one of the five nominees for Composer of the Year. IFMCA member Christian Clemmensen called Fantastic Beasts an “accomplished and mature fantasy score” which “sits comfortably with Howard’s accomplished genre works and competes favorably for a place amongst 2018’s best scores,” while IFMCA member Mihnea Manduteanu described Red Sparrow as “beautiful and passionate” and “melodic and furious”. Howard previously received IFMCA Score of the Year honors in 2006 for “The Lady in the Water”. His other major score in 2018 was for the lavish fantasy “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” which was inspired by Tchaikovsky’s seminal ballet.

39-year-old New York-born composer Nicholas Britell is nominated for Composer of the Year, and received two nods in the Drama Score category for two very different works – the sensitive 1970s drama “If Beale Street Could Talk” based on the novel by James Baldwin, and the bitingly satirical political drama “Vice,” which looks at the life and career of former US Vice President Dick Cheney. IFMCA member Kaya Savas said that Beale Street was “a gorgeous and deeply moving experience” which “explores the depths of love in all its shapes and forms”, while IFMCA member Jon Broxton said that Vice “keyed the audience in to the [satirical] joke while not overselling it to the point of obviousness,” and that Britell “made his score genuinely interesting and appealing from a musical point of view – something that many composers fail to do”.

57-year-old French composer Alexandre Desplat, who won the IFMCA Score of the Year award in 2008 for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” is nominated in the genre categories for three of his uniquely varied scores: the quirky comedy western “The Sisters Brothers,” the historical thriller “Operation Finale” which looks at Jewish secret agents tracking down Nazis after the end of World War II, and director Wes Anderson’s typically idiosyncratic animated film “Isle of Dogs”. IFMCA member Olivier Desbrosses described Isle of Dogs as “a score rich in oriental percussions, original and ambitious”.

Ludwig Göransson, the 34-year-old Swedish composer, enjoyed a truly tremendous year in 2018 and is nominated for Score of the Year, Composer of the Year, and Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Horror Score for his groundbreaking work on the enormously successful Marvel super hero film “Black Panther”. IFMCA member James Southall called Black Panther a “very distinctive sounding score” which contains “expansive arrangements of the main themes” and “complex, multi-layered percussion”. Göransson’s other work in 2018 included a second massively popular super-hero film, “Venom,” the remake of the classic revenge thriller “Death Wish,” and the boxing drama “Creed II,” the eighth film in the long-lasting Rocky series.

34-year-old American composer Justin Hurwitz is nominated for three awards – Score of the Year, Drama Score, and Film Music Composition of the Year – all for his work on director Damian Chazelle’s “First Man,” which looks at the impact of the Apollo 11 moon landings on the families of men involved. Similarly, 55-year-old British composer John Powell is nominated for three awards – Score of the Year, Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Horror Score, and Film Music Composition of the Year – all for his outstanding work on “Solo”, the Star Wars spin-off movie looking at the early life of the smuggler and rogue Han Solo. Powell previously won the IFMCA Score of the Year Award in 2010 for “How to Train Your Dragon”. IFMCA members Asier Senarriaga and Óscar Giménez called Solo “a spectacular score that combines the classic ideas of Williams with the talent of Powell,” and proclaimed it “the score of the year”.

The other two nominees for Score of the Year are American composer Marc Shaiman, who is nominated for his work on “Mary Poppins Returns,” the lovingly-crafted sequel to the classic Disney musical; and American composer Mark McKenzie, who received his nomination for his stunningly beautiful score for the Mexico-produced animated film “Max and Me,” which looks at the life of the Polish saint Maximilian Kolbe, who was executed in Auschwitz.

The other two nominees for Composer of the Year are American composer Alan Silvestri, whose work in 2018 included popular and successful films such as “Ready Player One,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Welcome to Marwen”; and Spanish composer Roque Baños, who showed an impressive amount of versatility and range in scoring films as diverse as the thrillers “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” and “The Commuter,” the sporting drama “The Miracle Season,” director Terry Gilliam’s literary fantasy “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” and three Spanish-language comedies: “Sin Rodeos,” “Miamor Perdido,” and “Yucatán”.

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. Three of the five composers nominated are already famous in their own right for other artistic endeavors, but are being recognized here specifically for their first ever work scoring feature films; all three are British. Thomas Adès is renowned as one of the world’s leading contemporary classical and concert hall composers, but only wrote his first film score this year with his contribution to the historical literary drama “Colette”. Amelia Warner is an established actress and solo recording artist, but impressed the IFMCA membership with her debut score for the film about the life of the groundbreaking horror author “Mary Shelley”. Meanwhile, Thom Yorke is best known as the Grammy Award-winning lead singer of the alternative rock band Radiohead, and has now followed in the footsteps of his band-made Jonny Greenwood by writing his first score, for director Luca Guadagnino’s remake of the classic horror film “Suspiria”.

The final two composers nominated for Breakthrough Composer are exciting young talents from Spain. Iván Palomares is recognized for his sensitive score for the fantastical yet intimate father-son drama “En las Estrellas,” while Manuel Riveiro is nominated for his outstanding score for the period thriller “La Sombra de la Ley,” in which a dogged cop travels to Barcelona in the 1920s to take on an organized crime gang.

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 South African composer Mark Chait (“Frontier of Love,” Television), Argentine composer Federico Jusid (“Watership Down,” Animation, and “La Catedral del Mar,” Television), Dutch composer Matthijs Kieboom (“Wild,” Documentary), Sweden-based composers Robert Parker and Waveshaper (“Videoman,” Comedy), and Turkish composer Pinar Toprak (“Tides of Fate,” Documentary).

Several other composers are receiving their first ever IFMCA Award nominations this year, including the aforementioned Kieboom, Parker, and Waveshaper, plus Benji Merrison (“Dynasties,” Documentary), Michael Nyman (“McQueen,” Documentary), and Will Slater (“Dynasties,” Documentary).

The International Film Music Critics Association will announce the winners of the 15th IFMCA Awards on February 21, 2019.

The list of nominees is as follows:

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

  • BLACK PANTHER, music by Ludwig Göransson
  • FIRST MAN, music by Justin Hurwitz
  • MARY POPPINS RETURNS, music by Marc Shaiman
  • MAX AND ME, music by Mark McKenzie
  • SOLO, music by John Powell

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

  • ROQUE BAÑOS
  • NICHOLAS BRITELL
  • LUDWIG GÖRANSSON
  • JAMES NEWTON HOWARD
  • ALAN SILVESTRI

BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

  • THOMAS ADÈS
  • IVÁN PALOMARES
  • MANUEL RIVEIRO
  • AMELIA WARNER
  • THOM YORKE

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM

  • EN LAS ESTRELLAS/UP AMONG THE STARS, music by Iván Palomares
  • FIRST MAN, music by Justin Hurwitz
  • IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, music by Nicholas Britell
  • MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, music by Max Richter
  • VICE, music by Nicholas Britell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM

  • CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, music by Geoff Zanelli and Jon Brion
  • CRAZY RICH ASIANS, music by Brian Tyler
  • MARY POPPINS RETURNS, music by Marc Shaiman
  • THE SISTERS BROTHERS, music by Alexandre Desplat
  • VIDEOMANNEN/VIDEOMAN, music by Robert Parker and Waveshaper

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM

  • KING OF THIEVES, music by Benjamin Wallfisch
  • LA SOMBRA DE LA LEY/GUN CITY, music by Manuel Riveiro and Xavier Font
  • MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, music by Lorne Balfe
  • OPERATION FINALE, music by Alexandre Desplat
  • RED SPARROW, music by James Newton Howard

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

  • BLACK PANTHER, music by Ludwig Göransson
  • FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD, music by James Newton Howard
  • JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM, music by Michael Giacchino
  • READY PLAYER ONE, music by Alan Silvestri
  • SOLO, music by John Powell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FILM

  • INCREDIBLES 2, music by Michael Giacchino
  • ISLE OF DOGS, music by Alexandre Desplat
  • MAX AND ME, music by Mark McKenzie
  • SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, music by Daniel Pemberton
  • WATERSHIP DOWN, music by Federico Jusid

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY

  • DYNASTIES, music by Benji Merrison and Will Slater
  • FREE SOLO, music by Marco Beltrami
  • McQUEEN, music by Michael Nyman
  • TIDES OF FATE, music by Pinar Toprak
  • WILD, music by Matthijs Kieboom

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A TELEVISION SERIES

  • AIQING DE BIANJIANG/FRONTIER OF LOVE, music by Mark Chait
  • LA CATEDRAL DEL MAR, music by Federico Jusid
  • LOST IN SPACE, music by Christopher Lennertz
  • WESTWORLD, music by Ramin Djawadi
  • YELLOWSTONE, music by Brian Tyler

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA

  • 11:11 MEMORIES RETOLD, music by Olivier Derivière
  • GOD OF WAR, music by Bear McCreary
  • NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM, music by Joe Hisaishi
  • SPIDER-MAN, music by John Paesano
  • TORN, music by Garry Schyman

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE – NEW RELEASE OR NEW RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE

  • BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, music by Wojciech Kilar; album produced by Dan Goldwasser; liner notes by Tim Greiving; art direction by Dan Goldwasser (La-La Land)
  • THE BRIDE WORE BLACK, music by Bernard Herrmann; The Basque National Orchestra conducted by Fernando Velázquez; album produced by Jose M. Benitez and Edouard Dubois; liner notes by Frank K. DeWald; art direction by Nacho B. Govantes (Quartet)
  • DRACULA, music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino and Robert Townson; liner notes by Mike Matessino; art direction by Jim Titus (Varèse Sarabande)
  • EL HOMBRE Y LA TIERRA, music by Antón García Abril; album produced by Jose M. Benitez and Miguel A. Órdóñez; liner notes by Miguel A. Órdóñez; art direction by Nacho B. Govantes (Quartet)
  • THE VIKINGS, music by Mario Nascimbene; The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus conducted by Nic Raine; album produced by James Fitzpatrick; liner notes by Frank K. DeWald; art direction by Jim Titus (Prometheus/Tadlow)

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE – COMPILATION

  • CARTER BURWELL: MUSIC FOR FILM, music by Carter Burwell; The Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dirk Brossé; album produced by Marijke Vandebuerie and Valerie Dobbelaere; liner notes by Patrick Duynslaegher and Raf Butstraen; art direction by Stuart Ford (Silva Screen)
  • THE COMPLETE LONDON SESSIONS, music by Georges Delerue; album produced by Robert Townson; liner notes by Robert Townson; art direction by Robert Townson, Bill Pitzonka, and Bob Peak (Varèse Sarabande)
  • HARRY POTTER: THE JOHN WILLIAMS SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION; music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino; liner notes by Mike Matessino; art direction by Jim Titus (La-La Land)
  • THRILLER 2, 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; art direction by Nic Finch (Tadlow)
  • A TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL KAMEN, music by Michael Kamen; The Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Pablo Urbina; album produced by José M. Benítez and Chris Malone; art direction by Nacho B. Govantes (Quartet)

FILM MUSIC LABEL OF THE YEAR

  • INTRADA RECORDS, Douglass Fake, Roger Feigelson
  • LA-LA LAND RECORDS, MV Gerhard, Matt Verboys
  • QUARTET RECORDS, Jose M. Benitez
  • TADLOW MUSIC, James Fitzpatrick
  • VARÉSE SARABANDE, Robert Townson

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

  • “The Landing” from FIRST MAN, written by Justin Hurwitz
  • “Finale” from MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, written by Max Richter
  • “Overture” from RED SPARROW, written by James Newton Howard
  • “Mine Mission” from SOLO, written by John Powell
  • “The Adventures of Han” from SOLO, written by John Williams

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 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, follow us on Twitter @ifmca, or contact us at press@filmmusiccritics.org.

SOUNDTRACK COLOGNE 2017

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IFMCA members to take part in Soundtrack Cologne 2017

From IFMCA Chairman Jon Broxton

IFMCA members Eleni Mitsiaki and David Serong will be taking part in the upcoming Soundtrack Cologne, Germany’s most popular conference of music and sound in movies, TV and games, which this year celebrates its 14th Edition.

The event will take place in the city of Cologne, Germany, from August 23rd to August 27th, 2017.

The conference is divided into three different thematic days dedicated to games, film, and television, with numerous workshops, panels and lectures by experienced composers.

Eleni Mitsiaki will lead a session entitled “Film Music Concerts: The Emperor’s new Clothes?” These are interesting times for soundtrack buffs! Ghent, Krakow, Malaga, Tenerife, Vienna, Prague… film and media music events are popping up all around Europe. The biggest ones are based on concerts and claim to gain awareness for media music, develop new concert practices for orchestras, and bring new audiences to the ivory towers of high culture. But didn’t some wise film music critic tell us, that the best film music is the one that merges with the picture? We ask: is this a treat or a threat? how far do concerts change the object of desire?

Mitsiaki amd fellow IFMCA member David Serong will also take part in a session entitled “The International Film Music Critics Association meets the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik,” in which they will talk with film music journalist Jörg Gerle of Filmdienst), and film music/concert composer and mediamusic e.V. board member Gregor Schwellenbach.

Among the guests expected at Soundtrack Cologne 2017 are composers Lesley Barber (Manchester by the Sea),  Volker Bertelmann/Hauschka (Lion), Johnny Klimek (Cloud Atlas, Babylon Berlin), Beckmann (Fack ju Göhte), Tom Stöwer (Wendy), 2017 Soundtrack Cologne Lifetime Achievement Award winner Bruce Broughton (Silverado, Tombstone), Carly Paradis (Line of Duty), Michael Price (Sherlock), Walter Mair (The Same Sky), Halfdan E (Borgen), Gareth Coker (Ori and the Blind Forest, Minecraft, ARK Survival Evolved), Bobby Tahouri (Rise of the Tomb Raider, Medal of Honor: Warfighter) and Petri Alanko. Composer Jeff Rona will give a film and game music masterclass for young composers.

For more information about Soundtrack Cologne 2017 please visit https://shdlr.com/conferences/talk/27262, https://www.soundtrackcologne.de/referenten/biographies/eleni-mitsiaki/, and https://www.soundtrackcologne.de/en/speakers/biographies/david-serong/.

2016 Scores Catch Up-Pocket Reviews

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With 2016 well and truly gone and the voting process started as a member of the IFMCA, I am catching up on some last minute soundtracks. Starting with:-

JACKIE – Score by Mica Levi
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The filma has just been released here in the UK and Film Critic Matthew Bond in todays Mail On Sunday writes ‘…and fabulously unsettling music from British composer Mica Levi – it’s one of the must-sees of this award season’.  Levi’s score for Under The Skin was was superb as is this  her second score. It’s one of the most segmented soundtracks I have heard,  it beautifully captures the isolation Jackie Kennedy must have gone through.
There is a motif of foreboding, drooping strings heard in the opening track Intro. A stand out track is Autopsy whereby the struggle of grieving combined with duty is symbolised by the background snare drum. It’s a complex, slow score where the silence in between notes has a startling effect.
This powerfully, understated score will change my list of top scores of the year.
At just 29 years of age, I for one hope she continues to compose for film.
MILAN MUSIC

GERNICA – Score by Fernando Verlasquez
gernika

Not having yet seen the film but knowing that it tells of the conflict of an American journalist reporting on the Spanish Civil War and the enforced republic censorship rules, the  opening track is suitably called Propaganda and matches the old cinema newsreel music of unity and false victory brilliantly.
I’ve Seen War is it’s opposite with heavy truth-telling strings as does the darker Back From The War/The Picture. Reception At City Hall is exquisite and Gernika Under The Bombs at 24:57 is a masterclass in composition. Another strong Velasquez score.
QUARTET RECORDS

LIVE BY NIGHT – Score by Harry Gregson-Williams
live-by-night

Directed, co-written and starring Ben Affleck this gangster movie set in the 1920’s could have been a chance to re-identify this genre through it’s score but here Gregson-Williams applies overused thriller shades which do not set any particular tones and I found myself waiting, with each cue, to be surprised but it was not to be. An opportunity missed.
WATER TOWER MUSIC

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