Sound of Cinema

Matthew Sweet looks at some of the experimental ventures in music for film from composers who have strived to create new sounds and evoke new aural worlds to underscore the movies. Recorded as part of Radio 3's New Year - New Music Season, the programme features scores by Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone, Philip Glass, Peter Maxwell Davies, Jon Brion, Bebe and Louis Baron, Mario...

Matthew Sweet presents music from film adaptations of the works of Charles Dickens: including scores for his festive favourite A Christmas Carol by Richard Addinsell and Danny Elfman.

With the release of "Star Wars - The Force Awakens", Matthew Sweet looks back on John Williams's music for the celebrated movie franchise.

Matthew Sweet looks at film, music, and Iceland and is joined by the award-winning composer Johann Johannsson, whose scores include The Theory of Everything and Sicario.

Matthew Sweet looks at film music inspired by the battlefield hot on the heels of the release of Hunger Games, Mockingjay 2. The Classic score of the week is Rosza's El Cid. The programme also includes music from the films Troy, Alexander, Fury, Saving Private Ryan, Atonement, Ran, 47 Ronin, and The Lord of the Rings.

Matthew Sweet is joined by producer Christine Langan and composer George Fenton to celebrate 25 years of BBC Films in the week that has seen the launch of The Lady In The Van The programme also features music from "Iris", "Billy Elliot", "Mrs Brown", "Becoming Jane", "Miss Potter", "The Duchess", "Notes On A Scandal", "Jane Eyre", "Philomena", "A Cock and Bull Story", "Mrs Henderson Presents" and...

Matthew Sweet is joined by composer Jocelyn Pook, whose music features in Eyes Wide Shut, Heidi and Brick Lane to talk about her work in film.

As the new James Bond movie, "Spectre" reaches cinemas, Matthew Sweet is at London's Barbican Centre as part of "Sound Unbound" to celebrate the great music from this most beloved of movie franchises. Composer Neil Brand joins Matthew to look back over past Bond scores, plus we hear from Spectre composer Thomas Newman.

Matthew Sweet introduces music for films exploring the theme of witchcraft prompted by the release of "The Last Witch Hunter" with music by Steve Jablonsky. The Classic Score of the Week is Roy Webb's "Cat People".

Matthew Sweet introduces scores for films that question the way we think about the cinema, and about other things as well.... The programme features music from Birth of a Nation; The Assassination of the Duke of Guise; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; The Seven Samurai; The Magnificent Seven; The Robe; Midnight Cowboy; Taxi Driver; The Young Sherlock Holmes; Avatar;and the Classic Score of the Wee...

Matthew Sweet presents music from films featuring a range of assassins, hitmen and sharp shooters. Our classic score of the week is David Amram's 1962 score for The Manchurian Candidate, the Cold War thriller starring Frank Sinatra and Janet Leigh. The featured new release is Sicario with a score by Johann Johannson.

Matthew Sweet reflects on film music which revels in the history and culture of Scotland.

Matthew Sweet explores the music of Hammer Horrors and other films made by the eponymous British production company. Founded in 1934, the company acquired the film rights to BBC radio series such as Dick Barton: Special Agent before going on to launch its iconic Horror series in the mid-1950s. Cinema hits included The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy. Featuring horror scores by compose...

Matthew Sweet meets prolific American composer Marco Beltrami, pupil of Jerry Goldsmith and arguably the foremost creator of the modern horror film soundtrack. ("Scream", "Mimic","Carrie", "The Omen"). There is much more to Beltrami besides. His credits also include "I Robot", "The Hurt Locker", "The Woman in Black", "The Homesman", "Terminator 3", "3:10 to Yuma". Beltrami has just teamed up with...

Matthew Sweet turns his attention to music written for films based on real lives and true events in the weekend of the launch of "True Story" - a film inspired by a real tale of identify theft. Music featured in the programme includes "Schindler's List" ; "Battleship Potemkin"; "Malta GC"; "The Fall of the Roman Empire"; "Cleopatra"; "Zulu" and "Apollo 13". The Classic Score of the Week is Franz W...

Matthew Sweet presents a tribute to the film composer James Horner who died suddenly last month. A regular collaborator of directors Ron Howard and James Cameron, Horner was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won two for his work on Titanic. Famously prolific he scored more than 100 films, including numerous blockbusters such as Braveheart, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind and the highest grossing fi...

Matthew Sweet on film music inspired by man and machine in the week of the launch of the latest in the Terminator series. Matthew joins composers Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe who talk about their new score for the film Terminator Genisys. Also in the programme, James Horner's music for Bicentennial Man; David Arnold's Stepford Wives; Howard Shore's Hugo; Mark Mothersbaugh's Cloudy With A Chance Of...

Matthew Sweet with a selection of film music written for characters who find themselves on the wrong side of the law in the week that has seen the release of John Maclean's "Slow West" with a score by Jed Kurzel. Matthew's Classic Score of the Week is Erich Korngold's 1935 "Captain Blood".

Matthew Sweet excavates samples of prehistoric film music in the light of the launch of the latest movie in the Jurassic Park franchise - Jurassic World. The programme features scores from "When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth"; "The Lost World"; "Valley of Gwangi"; "Dinosaur" and "Ice Age" as well as music by John Williams and Michael Giacchino. The Classic Score of the week is Mario Nascimbene's music...

Matthew Sweet presents an edition of music from spy movies, featuring scores from gritty Carré-esque espionage films to James Bond action fantasies. This week's new release is Paul Feig's "Spy", starring Melissa McCarthy, with a score by Theodore Shapiro. Other featured films include "The Lady Vanishes"; "The Third Man"; "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"; "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold"; "Tink...

Matthew Sweet looks at music for films inspired by the spirit world in the week of the release of the remake of "Poltergeist" with a new score by Marc Streitenfeld. The programme also features music by Christopher Young from "Drag Me To Hell" and Marco Beltrami from "Woman in Black". There is Humphrey Searle's music for "The Haunting", Danny Elfman's for "Corpse Bride", James Horner's "Casper", Jo...

Matthew Sweet turns his attention to the celebrated Ealing Comedies from 1947-57 and the composers who wrote the music for them, including Georges Auric, Benjamin Frankel, Tristram Cary and Ernest Irving.

Matthew Sweet presents film music inspired by classic novels in the week of the launch of Thomas Vinterberg's new version of Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd" with music by Craig Armstrong. Craig Armstrong talks to Matthew about his new score and introduces cues from it. The programme also includes music by Constant Lambert from the 1948 Anna Karenina; from Rachel Portman for Nicholas Ni...

Matthew Sweet presents the second of two programmes looking at music from classic Westerns, including scores by Alfred Newman, Carter Burwell and Jonny Greenwood. Classic score of the week is Elmer Bernstein's "Magnificent Seven".

Matthew Sweet presents the first of two programmes of music from classic and modern Westerns, including scores by Dimitri Tiomkin, Elmer Bernstein and Ennio Morricone. Classic score of the week is Tiomkin's "High Noon".