Course evening 3: Inaudible melodies – about the film music of the 21st century
Kevin Toma, 24 March

When was the last time you left the cinema with the film music still going round your head? There’s a good chance it was a long time ago. While we associate film music with the very distinctive, sing-along sounds of composers like John Williams (E.T., Harry Potter) and Ennio Morricone (Once Upon a Time in the West), in contemporary soundtracks there appears to be little scope for melodies any more. The style of modern film music is characterised by textures and repeated patterns, whether you’re listening to Christopher Nolan’s Batman films or to intimate arthouse dramas like All of Us Strangers. What’s the background of this development, and are there still catchy film melodies to be found? Kevin Toma gets to the bottom of it with you.