Sound of Cinema

Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique epitomises the image of romantic composer as tormented soul. Matthew Sweet looks at how cinematic portrayals of classical composers have taken this idea to heart. The programme considers screen portraits of Liszt, Grieg, Beethoven, Wagner, Paganini, Mozart and of course Berlioz himself, featuring music from 'Lisztomania', 'Song Without End', 'The Magic Bow', 'Song o...

Matthew Sweet in conversation with the American composer and pianist Nicholas Britell who created the scores for films such 'Moonlight', 'The Big Short', 'Free State of Jones' and 'Vice' and whose new score for "If Beale Street Could Talk" is shortlisted for both a BAFTA and an Academy Award.

The film franchise is a major part of the modern cinematic world, and the role of the composer is a major contributory factor to the success of the franchise. Matthew Sweet looks back on music for some notable modern franchises and talks to composer John Powell about the way he approached scoring the Dreamworks franchise 'How To Train Your Dragon', the third of which - 'The Hidden World' - has jus...

Matthew Sweet considers the changing face of smuggling in film through the scores that have accompanied them from the high jinks of Whiskey Galore to some of today's more sinister affairs.

Matthew Sweet examines the Alfred Hitchcock/Bernard Herrmann artistic collaboration through the music for their films, including North By Northwest, Psycho, Marnie, and Vertigo. The programme marks the BBC's Icons Season. Alfred Hitchcock features among the short list of Icons in the "Artists and Writers" category in BBC TWO's venture to discover the 20th Century's most important and influential f...

Matthew Sweet takes his cue from the newly released 'Stan and Ollie', scored by Rolfe Kent, for a look at music for films featuring notable "double acts", not least from the new Laurel and Hardy inspired film itself. Featured films include 'The Odd Couple', 'Gunfight At OK Corral', 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', 'Mr and Mrs Smith', 'To Have And Have Not', 'Cleopa...

Matthew Sweet meets the composer of First Man and La La Land, Justin Hurwitz, who has built an enviable reputation in Hollywood and two Academy Awards from just four films. Matthew looks at his career to date, his exclusive working relationship with director Damien Chazelle, his love of the film musical, and he discusses his four films - 'Guy and Madeline On A Park Bench', 'Whiplash', 'La La Land'...

Conan Doyle's detective takes to the screens again this Christmas with a new comic film, "Holmes & Watson", with music by Mark Mothersbaugh. Matthew Sweet marks the event with a look back on some of the super-sleuth's celebrated film scores including "The Adventures OF Sherlock Holmes's Smarter Brother", "The Legend of the Hound of the Baskervilles", "Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows", "You...

Cinema's consistent love affair with the Robin Hood legend spawns a new film this week, "Robin Hood", starring Taron Egerton in the title role and with music by Joseph Trapanese - another take on the timeless myth of the man who took from the rich to give to the poor. Matthew Sweet examines Robin Hood's screen history and looks at how screen composers have portayed the legend in music . With music...

Matthew Sweet takes the theme of magic for his exploration of film music this week to tie in with the release of "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald".

Veteran Hollywood composer David Shire is responsible for some of film's most iconic scores, including 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'; Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Conversation'; and 'All The President's Men'. He joins Matthew Sweet to look back over his long career scoring films. Featured soundtracks include 'Farewell My Lovely', 'The Conversation', 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three', 'All...

Matthew Sweet takes the release of Peterloo as an excuse to examine film music and culture inspired by life and events in the North of England.

Matthew Sweet presents a special programme from the current "Video Games: Design/Play/Disrupt" exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London exploring the nature and function of modern video gaming music. Matthew is joined by curator Kristian Volsing and composer and gaming expert Stephen Baysted ("ProjectCARS; "World Of Speed"; Need For Speed: Shift") to discover more about composing mus...

A selection of film music inspired by Radio 3's Forests Season presented by Matthew Sweet. Forests have proved a rich environment for film, whether as a place where a character can find his or herself; a place to ponder our relationship with nature and the environment; a place of refuge and escape; or a place of terror and of nightmares. Matthew takes us on a film music journey through the forest...

Whether it's the threatening and atmospheric environment of the hotel in The Shining or the opulence of the Grand Budapest Hotel these public buildings have excercised more than their fair share of inspiration on filmmakers and film music. Matthew Sweet looks back at the hotel in cinema through some of these film's music in the week that has seen the release of Drew Goddard's mystery thriller, Bad...

With the release of the new version of A Star Is Born with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, Matthew Sweet profiles music for films about stars in the making. The programme features music from 'Venus In Fur', 'The Red Shoes', 'Svengali', 'The Artist', 'Maps To The Stars', 'Hail Caesar', 'Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool' and 'Ed Wood'; and he features music from the four different versions of 'A Star...

As part of the Bernstein centenary celebrations Matthew Sweet looks at music for the films of Elia Kazan including Bernstein's score for On The Waterfront. The programme also features music from Viva Zapata, Panic In the Streets, Boomerang, Gentleman's Agreement, Pinky, A Streetcar Named Desire, East of Eden, Splendour In The Grass, Baby Doll, and The Last Tycoon.

Matthew Sweet with film music inspired by sea creatures in the week that has seen the release of The Meg with music by Harry Gregson-Williams.

Composer Lorne Balfe invites Matthew Sweet behind the scenes at Air Studios for the recording sessions of the score for the new Mission: Impossible film which is in cinemas this week. Matthew finds out what goes into recording a Hollywood film soundtrack from the people at Air studios who make it happen. As well as Lorne, he talks to three-time Grammy Award-winning recording engineer Geoff Foster,...

Matthew Sweet considers music for British animation as the BFI mark the 50th anniversary of Yellow Submarine. The programme looks back on scores for some of the classic children's animation titles from the likes of Oliver Postgate and Ivor Wood including 'Bagpuss'; 'Ivor the Engine'; and 'Camberwick Green'; music for Jerry and Sylvia Anderson's 'Thunderbirds'; the 1954 'Animal Farm'; and 'Watershi...

Matthew Sweet looks back on film scores composed to convey the wonder and terror of Mary Shelley's great creation in the week of Haifaa al-Mansour's new film biopic of the writer. As well as featuring music by Amelia Warner for the new film, Matthew also offers musical moments from the 1931 James Whale 'Frankenstein'; 'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'; 'Son Of Frankenstein'; House Of Frankenstein'; 'F...

Matthew Sweet looks at music for films that explore father/daughter relationships in the week of the release of Debra Granik's new movie "Leave No Trace".

Matthew Sweet with film music movies and teamwork in the week of the launch of Ocean's 8 with a score by Daniel Pemberton.

Matthew Sweet talks to the Lebanese-born composer Gabriel Yared, who worked closely with director Anthony Minghella on scores for "The English Patient", "The Talented Mr Ripley" and "Cold Mountain", about his career in film music. Gabriel tells Matthew that he began as a law student and then became a music arranger before studying with the French composer Henri Dutilleux, then breaking into film m...

Matthew Sweet takes this week's launch of new Jurassic World film, "Jurassic World-Fallen Kingdom", to look back at the beginning of the franchise and the film music world of 1993 - a year which film critic Roger Ebert described as an annus mirabilis for cinema. Films from 1993 featured in the programme include: "Tombstone"; "The Age of Innocence"; "Philadelphia"; "The Fugitive"; "The Piano"; "Sha...