CLASSICAL MUSIC and the Movies

[Ferretfancy]

Does anybody remember The Grace Moore Story (1953) in which Kathryn Grayson appeared ? It included a substantial chunk of La Boheme Act I, from the moment when Rudolfo first encounters Mimi to their departure off stage.

I saw it in an army cinema in the Suez Canal Zone, and was rather impressed. I assume that Kathryn Grayson's own voice was used, I don'r remember who the tenor was. Grace Moore herself was killed in a plane crash in 1947 after a very successful career. That was a very bad time for musicians in crashes, I suppose they travelled more air miles than most in the rough and ready planes of the time.

[Rolmill]

I'm not much of a film-goer (or watcher on TV for that matter), but I rather liked the use made of the second movt of Beethoven's 7th symphony at the end of The King's Speech.

[Roehre]

Am I the only one to totally hate classical music being used in this way? The combination of images and music can stay with one for ever and colour one's perception of the music for a lifetime. .....

That danger is certainly real.

I heard Mozart's 2nd mvt from KV467 first as fim music, and has destroyed the piece for me for ever.
However: I knew Mahler's Adagietto before i saw Death in Venice (in 1980 or '81 IIRC), and I found it a nice
touch.

But generally speaking: I don't like the use of existing "classical" pieces outside their context. Amadeus or The Eternal Beloved obviously cannot be done without Mozart or Beethoven. But otherwise: filmcomposers please retain from using existing material.

[gradus]

Scherzo Brahms 2 pf conc French film but which one? Just can't place it.
A mangled conclusion of Act 1 of Tosca in one of the recent Bond films.

[EdgeleyRob]

Absolute heartbreaker towards the end of The Pianist

[Bryn]

Hmm, think I might give Jarman's Jubilee a spin, just to hear the uncredited snipped from Cardew's The Great Learning: Paragraph 7 that Brian Eno used during the final credits.

[gurnemanz]

This was a a seminal work for most of us of a certain age

[ahinton]

This was a a seminal work for most of us of a certain age

Of an age sufficient to be able to remember Shostakovich's final symphony when it was first performed, peut-être...

[hmvman]

The last scene in Runaway Train with John Voight standing on a railway locomotive heading for the end of the line to the sound of Et in terra pax from Vivaldi's Gloria RV589.

[Stan Drews]

I'd give a generous nod to George Fenton, for his use of Handel's Saul - another mad king (at least as Jennens saw it) - in The Madness of King George.

Btw - Is it true that the title of Bennett's play was adapted lest the "Overseas" audiences wondered what had happened to The Madness of George I & II??

[MrGongGong]

Hmm, think I might give Jarman's Jubilee a spin, just to hear the uncredited snipped from Cardew's The Great Learning: Paragraph 7 that Brian Eno used during the final credits.

Shall we have a whip round to pay for your court case ?
Eno has enough money and i'm sure the remaining Scratchers who aren't (in)famous composers could do with the dosh

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This was a a seminal work for most of us of a certain age

How could I forget? Odd, though, that they nearly always played the fanfare and then the end of the coda, possibly to avoid any association with the William Tell connection at a time when there was a rival William Tell programme on a different channel.

But if we're talking about TV themes, what about the Berceuse from Faure's Dolly Suite, used for Listen with Mother? A wonderful programme until they replaced the classical singers with something soupier.

[Petrushka]

Just played the Galop: la bal from Bizet's Jeux d'Enfants and can't for the life of me recall what programme had this as theme music. What was it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r4fncPefdk

[Beef Oven!]

Just played the Galop: la bal from Bizet's Jeux d'Enfants and can't for the life of me recall what programme had this as theme music. What was it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r4fncPefdk

Before my time, can't help.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Look North (Manchester) used to have Poulenc's Les Biches as its signature tune in the pre-Stuart Hall days.