Underscore

In today's Reel Change we explore film music's most magical palette, the Lydian mode. From the twistedly comic to the ethereally cosmic, we chart Lydian's evocative power around the world and into the 20th century of American film music. Join us for a podcast that unites Leonard Bernstein, Ravi Shankar, James Horner and more. It's a celebration of true movie magic - enjoy!Listen to Reel Change: The Lydian Mode:Raga Yaman Kalyan - Ravi Shankar - 1974Maria - Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim - West Side Story - 1957Blue in Green - Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - 1959Tonight - Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim - West Side Story - 1957Main Title - Elmer Bernstein - To Kill A Mockingbird - 1962 (Robert Mulligan, dir.)Moon River - Henry Mancini - Breakfast At Tiffany's - 1961 (Blake Edwards, dir.)The Flying Scene - John Williams - Superman - 1978 (Richard Donner, dir.)Yoda's Theme - John Williams - The Empire Strikes Back - 1980 (Irvin Kershner, dir.)Flug auf dem Glücksdrachen - Klaus Doldinger - 1984 (Wolfgang

Award-winning composer Joe Kraemer joins us for an in-depth interview on his exciting career and the art of character-driven film scoring. You've heard Joe's remarkable work in such films as Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015), Jack Reacher (2012) and Way of the Gun (2000). His celebrated score to Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation won the IFMCA Award in 2015 for Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film and in 2016 Kraemer was awarded the Discovery Of The Year at the World Soundtrack Awards. Recently, Joe was commissioned by the Dallas Chamber Symphony to write new music for F.W. Murnau's silent film classic Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. In addition to composing, he'll once again be a featured instructor at the Hollywood Music Workshop this summer in Vienna.  Joe has an infectious, enthusiastic personality and an expertise with film music that is both insightful and inspiring. Enjoy!                             

We are proud to present our feature-length audio commentary for Hitchcock & Herrmann's masterwork, Vertigo.  By now fully acquainted with Herrmann's voice and the alluring motifs of the score, we sit down to enjoy the film in its entirety. Whether your fourth or fiftieth viewing, we hope to offer fresh musical and narrative insight into this true cinematic classic. Enjoy!                                                                                                          Listen to episode 2m4 Vertigo: The Commentary Vertigo - Bernard Herrmann -Paramount/Universal - 1958 (Alfred Hitchcock, dir.)-Prelude-Rooftop-The Window-Madeline's First Appearance-Madeline's Car-The Flower Shop-The Alleyway-The Mission-Mission Organ-Graveyard-Tomb

Today we take all that we've learned thus far about Bernard Herrmann's iconic score to Vertigo and make our way through the entire cue list of the film. We explore Herrmann's mastery in weaving strong and memorable motives throughout this deeply hypnotic score. It's a chance to familiarize ourselves with the musical narrative of the film before next week's Vertigo finale - the complete UnderScore audio commentary. Don't look down!Listen to episode 2m3 Spotting Session: VertigoVertigo - Bernard Herrmann -Paramount/Universal - 1958 (Alfred Hitchcock, dir.)-Prelude-Rooftop-The Window-Madeline's First Appearance-Madeline's Car-The Flower Shop-The Alleyway-The Mission-Mission Organ-Graveyard-Tombstone -Carlotta's Portrait-The Hotel-The Hallway-Nosegay-The Catalog-The Gallery-The Bay-Sleep-By the Fireside-Exit-The Streets-The Outing-The Forest-The Beach-3AM-The Dream-Farewell - The Tower-The Nightmare -Dawn-The Past -The Girl-The Letter-Goodnight -The Park-The Hair Color-The Beauty Parlor-

This week we dive head first into Bernard Herrmann's hypnotic score to Vertigo by exploring some of its dizzying themes and re-occurring motives. From the subdued mystery of Carlotta Valdes to the torrid and infamous Scene D'Amour, today's episode is a small taste of one of cinema's most seductive film scores!Listen to episode 2m2 Seductive & Hypnotic: Vertigo ThemesVertigo - Bernard Herrmann -Paramount/Universal - 1958 (Alfred Hitchcock, dir.)-Prelude-Madeline's First Appearance -Carlotta's Portrait-The Nightmare-The Streets- Scene D'Amour-Farewell - The Tower-The Rooftop-The Letter For score reductions, additional links and more,the discussion continues at: www.underscorepodcast.com  

Today we unveil the next film score in our series, the mysterious and romantic score to Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 classic, Vertigo. This week we begin by celebrating composer Bernard Herrmann, who in addition to being Hitchcock's long-standing musical collaborator is one of the most important and influential names in the landscape of film music. We examine some of the many musical traits that embody Herrmann's stellar output and contextualize this month's seminal score in the process. Join us as we dive into cinema's other great master of suspense!Listen to episode 2m1 Vertigo: The Harmony of Herrmann Citizen Kane - Bernard Herrmann - 1941 - RKO Pictures (Orson Welles, dir,)-OvertureThe Ghost and Mrs. Muir - B. Herrmann -1947 -20th Century Fox (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, dir.)-Andante CantabileThe Day the Earth Stood Still - B. Herrmann - 1951 - 20th Century Fox (Robert Wise, dir.)-Suite from 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'North By Northwest - B. Herrmann - 1959 - MGM (Alfred Hitchcock, dir.)-The Airport-Concersatio

Today is the first installment of Reel Change, an ongoing series of episodes in between films. To hopefully cleanse the palate and prepare for our next subject, this week we focus on a musical device relevant to all eras of cinema: The Ostinato. Join us on a brief exploration of this musical mechanism as we track its development in films from the golden age to the present. Off we go!Listen to Reel Change: The OstinatoCaptain Blood - Erich Wolfgang Korngold - Warner Bros - 1935 (Michael Curtiz, dir.)King Kong - Max Steiner - Radio Pictures - 1933 (M. Cooper, E. Schoedsack, dir.)Scaramouche - Victor Young -  MGM - 1952 (George Sidney, dir.)Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini - NBC - Official Films  - 1958-61 (Blake Edwards, creator)The Magnificent Seven - Elmer Berstein - United Artists - 1960 (John Sturges, dir.)Taras Bulba - Franz Waxman - United Artists - 1962 (J. Lee Thompson, dir.)The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Ennio Morricone - United Artists - 1966 (Sergio Leone, dir.)Midnight Cowboy - John Barry - Un

Culminating our month-long adventure, today we share the first ever UnderScore commentary track! Join us as we discuss the score to Raiders of the Lost Ark in real time along with the film. Follow along at home with our supplementary materials, including a Score Sheet to track the many instances of character themes (see how many you can spot!)  Pop some corn, dim the lights and ready your whip as we set off!                                                                                                          Listen to episode 1m4 Commentary of the Lost Ark Raiders of the Lost Ark  - John Williams - Paramount Pictures - 1981 (Steven Spielberg, dir.)  -In the Jungle-The Idol Cave -Escape From the Temple-Flight From Peru&n

In today's episode, we continue our focus on the Raiders score and set the stage for the first UnderScore Commentary Track! This week we travel piece by piece through all of the music cues in the film and discuss their function as the story unfolds. Join us in these final weeks as we wrap up our exciting Indiana Jones adventure!                                                                                                            Listen to episode 1m3 Raiders Spotting Session Raiders of the Lost Ark  - John Williams - Paramount Pictures - 1981 (Steven Spielberg, dir.)  -In the Jungle-The Idol Cave -Escape From the Temple-Flight From Peru -Washington Men / Indy's Home -A Thought For Marion-To Nepal &

This week on the podcast, we continue our discussion of the soundtrack to "Raiders of the Lost Ark." The next step on our journey is an examination of the many interesting themes of the film. From the highly religious and ominous "Ark Theme" to the suggestive and romantic theme for Marion, today's episode covers the wide variety of melodies and leitmotifs in this treasure trove of a score!                                                                                                              Listen to episode 1m2 Themes of the Lost Ark  Raiders of the Lost Ark  - John Williams - Paramount Pictures - 1981 (Steven Spielberg, dir.)-Washington Ending -The Map Room: Dawn-A Thought For Marion-To Nepal-The Miracle of the Ark-W

In the exciting premiere episode of UnderScore, we meet our two hosts and dive head first into John Williams' beloved soundtrack to "Raiders of the Lost Ark." To start our adventure we devote an entire episode to the iconic theme for the character of Indiana Jones, "The Raiders March."   Listen to episode 1m1 "The Raiders March"Raiders of the Lost Ark - "The Raiders March" - John Williams - Paramount Pictures - 1981 (Steven Spielberg, dir.)For score reductions, additional links and more,the discussion continues at: www.underscorepodcast.com