Our first look at not only the film scores of Middle Earth, but also at composer Howard Shore. The creation of his music for Fellowship is examined, as is the source material for these amazing films. Themes are broken down, and the overall style and approach of Shore's music is analyzed.

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Film music has its roots in 19th century opera. The fascinating and controversial life and music of Wagner is explored, as well as an overview of how film music has its roots in opera. Musical examples are played, and history is uncovered.

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In part 2 of our interview with composer Vince DiCola, we discuss his work on the 1986 animated feature, Transformers the Movie. His influences are explored, and comparisons are made between his approach to songwriting versus film scoring. 

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In our interview with Vince DiCola, we learn about how he became the composer for Rocky IV. We explore his musical background as a drummer and keyboardist, how he was influenced by progressive rock, and we discuss his innovative use of synthesizer. Songwriting for Staying Alive is also discussed, and learn the story of how DiCola made it in Hollywood. 

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Our final look and listen to the music of The Empire Strikes Back covers the end of the film, and its main location: Cloud City. We listen to more restored music during the lightsaber duel, explore even more themes like Boba Fett's theme and Lando's Cloud City theme, and we examine how John Williams carefully scores the trap that awaits our heroes, playing against the gorgeous visuals and the illusion of safety that they present.

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Our in-depth look at The Empire Strikes Back continues as we examine the middle of the film: the asteroid field, the planet Dagobah, and more. Continuous changes to the final score are discussed, and we get our first listen to an instrument that makes its debut in the Star Wars saga: the synthesizer.

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We look at the music of the first act of The Empire Strikes Back: the planet Hoth. Multiple cues are discussed, as well as the creative process of iterating on musical ideas. We even get to hear restored music that was written and performed for many long sequences, but was cut from the film. Lastly, we focus on the battle in the snow, and the moment that the Imperial March is established as a theme for Darth Vader himself. 

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When approaching the film score to The Empire Strikes Back, the sequel to the unprecedented smash hit Star Wars just three years before, John Williams made it all look easy. It wasn't. The pressure was intense, and the timeline was challenging. We discuss the initial spotting session for Empire, as well as the new, central musical themes that emerge in this sequel... one that changed the Star Wars franchise, and its music, forever. 

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We celebrate our first year of The Soundtrack Show with a glimpse behind the scenes on how the show is written. We share listener emails, give a year in review, take a quick look at (and listen to) some holiday music, and offer a sneek-peak of what's to come in 2019.

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In part 2 of our interview, Mike Matessino candidly discusses the challenges facing the music industry, while sharing his insights into the popularity of film scores performed live. Some of his favorite soundtrack releases are discussed, and we get a sample of a new project Mike's been working on. 

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