Arnau Bataller

Arnau Bataller

Arnau Bataller was born in Alzira, Valencia, in 1977. Thanks to the influence of his parents, he had an early interest in music, theater and reading. At the age of seven he began studying music theory and violin at the Alzira Musical Society. After getting a professional degree in violin in 1998, Arnau decided to concentrate his efforts in the world of composition. He had always been attracted to the union of music and image, so he decided to specialize in music for film. For this reason he decided to pursue his studies in composition at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. His three years here helped him grow as a composer and as a person – and also to hate fast food! Arnau finished his studies at the University of Southern California in late 2002. Since then, Arnau has been composing music for several feature films, including 14 DAYS WITH VICTOR, HÉROES, OUIJA and LA HERENCIA VALDEMAR. He has also written concert music, including the chamber piece ‘Tre movimenti alla Rossini’

Warning Shot

Warning Shot

I got the LP for WARNING SHOT back in the late 1960s around 1968 from a second hand store in my home town, at first as I was a young collector I was under the impression that it was the original score, alas it was not but that did not stop me playing the album to death and also flipping it over to hear Si Zentner’s renditions of VON RYANS EXPRESS, A PATCH OF BLUE, THE MAN FROM UNCLE and THE PRIZE, which all had the basics of Goldsmiths themes but were given a fresh and vigorous make over by Zentner and played up by his group of session musicians, remember some of these were not available or if they were had not really made it to the record stores in the UK at that time, so we had to make do with covers but saying that these covers were pretty damn good. Its great to have Goldsmith’s original score from the movie on compact disc

Skyfall

Skyfall

John Barry proved that he could never be replaced when it came to Bond – James Bond that is. Bond and Barry went together like Fish and Chips or better still Suave and Sophisticated. The latest Bond adventure has been a while in the works and it was a surprise when it was announced that American composer Thomas Newman would score the film. Newman of course is a seasoned film music Maestro and a member of the Newman dynasty that has reigned supreme in Hollywood for many years now. But how would he score a movie that has a quintessential British hero and a character so well established as James Bond and who also has an established soundtrack base? On the first listen to Newman’s score I was, in a word, “unimpressed” but after a few listens the music began to grow on me. I think one has to completely put out of one’s head the Barry

Laurie Johnson

Laurie Johnson

Born in London in 1927, Laurie Johnson received his musical education and training at the Royal College of Music. At the age of 18 he had a number of orchestral works published, which also had been broadcast on the radio. At the same time he was composing and arranging for the Ted Heath Band. Later he went on to work on compositions and arrangements for most of the major bands of the fifties. These included Jack Parnell, Ambrose, Geraldo and Mantovani. At the age of 21 Johnson was recording for EMI with his own orchestra. In the mid-fifties he began to compose music for films, and in 1955 he did his first film score, THE GOOD COMPANIONS. During the past 40 years Laurie Johnson has written for over 400 films and television productions. They include films such as FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, DR. STRANGELOVE, CAPTAIN KRONOS VAMPIRE HUNTER, THE BELSTONE FOX and TIGER BAY. For the small screen the composer has written the scores and themes for such popular series as THE AVENGERS and THE PROFESSIONALS,

A HOOSIER IN HOLLYWOOD. GEORGE DUNING.

 

George Duning

George Duning was born in Richmond, Indiana, in 1908. He began his musical career in 1921, when he was thirteen years old. His mother who taught organ and piano wanted the young Duning to study piano seriously, but he opted for the trumpet and had lessons from Herman Wogelmuth, who was first trumpet with the Cincinnati Symphony at that time.

By the time he was seventeen years old, George Duning was performing with dance bands and orchestras in Cincinnati. In his late teens he studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Ohio, he majored in theory at the Conservatory and studied composition under Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco. In 1931 he joined the Kay Kyser orchestra as a trumpet player and arranger. It was not until 1934 that George Duning decided that he wanted to write music for movies. The composer recalls what led him to make his decision: “While in New York in 1934, I saw a Warner Brothers movie called THE INFORMER,