Beyond The Screen: Film Works On Piano
(Cd)

Filmmusicsite.com talked to the talented Rachel Portman

Filmmusicsite.com has had the opportunity to talk to the talented Rachel Portman. Rachel is born in West Sussex, England. She has written music for more than 100 films, television shows and theatre productions. In 1997 she was the first female composer to win an Oscar for Best Original Score for the film Emma. She has written music for films such as Emma, The Cider House Rules, The Duchess, The Legend of Bagger Vance, A Dog's Purpose, Chocolat, Never Let Me Go and many many more. Recently Sony Classical has released an album with 20 tracks containing piano suites of her best film work. It's called Beyond the Screen – Film Works on Piano.

In this Composer Talk she talks about that new album but also about Julia, a documentary about tv chef and author Julia Child. We also talk about the importance female composers can play in the filmmusic industry.

Check out this new episode of Composer Talk. You can listen to it on our website or on Spotify

Photo credit: Giles Keyte

Sony Classical released the new record Beyond the Screen – Film Works on Piano by Rachel Portman featuring some of the composer’s most cherished film music for solo piano.

Sony Classical released the new record Beyond the Screen – Film Works on Piano by Rachel Portman featuring some of the composer’s most cherished film music for solo piano.

The album was recorded in Berlin, with occasional accompaniment by cellist Raphaela Gromes and consists of 20 curated pieces that span Portman’s illustrious career, arranged to form an emotional and musical journey.

Among the titles included are suites from the composer’s Academy Award-winning score for Douglas McGrath’s Emma, her Academy Award-nominated scores for Lasse Hallstrom’s The Cider House Rules and Chocolat, as well as her music for Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go, Lone Scherfig’s One Day and Saul Dibb’s The Duchess. The album was released digitally and physically on March 3, 2023 and is available on Amazon.

About Rachel Portman

Born in West Sussex, Rachel began composing at the age of 14 and read music at the University of Oxford, where she became interested in writing music for student films and theatre productions.
She gained experience writing music for drama in BBC and Channel 4 films, including Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Mike Leigh's Four Days In July, and Jim Henson's Storyteller series.

Since then, Portman has written over 100 scores for film, television and theatre, becoming the first female composer to win an Academy Award, which she received for the score of Emma (Douglas McGrath). She also won a Primetime Emmy Award for the film, Bessie (Dee Rees).
She has received two further Academy Nominations for The Cider House Rules and Chocolat (Lasse Hallström), which also earned her a Golden Globe Nomination as well as Bafta nominations for Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and The Woman in Black. Rachel was BBC Radio 3’s Composer of the Week in 2018 including The Manchurian Candidate (Jonathan Demme), Oliver Twist (Roman Polanski), Beloved (Jonathan Demme), Benny and Joon (Jeremiah Chechik), Life Is Sweet (Mike Leigh), Never Let Me Go (Mark Romanek), Grey Gardens (Michael Sucsy), The Legend of Bagger Vance (Robert Redford), The Duchess (Saul Dibb), One Day (Lone Scherfig), The Lake House (Alejandro Agresti), Mona Lisa Smile (Mike Newell), The Human Stain (Robert Benton), Their Finest (Lone Sherfig), A Dog’s Purpose (Lasse Halstrom), Mimi and the Mountain Dragon for the BBC and Godmothered (Sharon Maguire).
Most recently Rachel wrote the score for the documentary Julia which chronicles the life of TV chef and author Julia Child. The score went on to be nominated for a Cinema Eye Honors, a Critics’ Choice Award, a Society of Composers and Lyricists Award, and won the Hollywood Music in Media Award.

In 2020 Rachel released her first solo album Ask the River.

Rachel is an honorary fellow of Worcester College, Oxford. In 2010, she was appointed an Order of the British Empire (OBE). She lives in London with her husband and three daughters.

Format: Cd / / Vinyl and Digital Download
When: March 3, 2023
From: Sony Classical

More info at: Official Web Site Film Works On Piano

More info at: Composer Rachel Portman Official Site

Sony Classical presents the new record Beyond the Screen – Film Works on Piano by Rachel Portman featuring some of the composer’s most cherished film music for solo piano.

Sony Classical presents the new record Beyond the Screen – Film Works on Piano by Rachel Portman featuring some of the composer’s most cherished film music for solo piano.

'Beyond the Screen: Film Works On Piano' is an album by Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman comprising some of her most cherished film music for solo piano.

She refers to the piano as her best friend, adding 'I spend all day with it, most days. I think probably I'm pianistic in my soul'. Hence, piano miniatures are a natural second life for her highly melodic scores.

The album comprises various solo piano arrangements based on her well-known soundtracks such as 'Chocolat', 'The Cider House Rules' and 'The Dutchess'. Portman was very selective, however, about which pieces would translate best without an orchestra: 'I wanted them to be pieces that work in their own way, that are satisfying'.

'Beyond the Screen' was recorded in Berlin, with occasional accompaniment by cellist Raphaela Gromes and consists of 20 curated pieces that span Portman's illustrious career, arranged to form an emotional and musical journey. It was also important to Portman that she did everything herself, from arrangement to performance.

Portman has been scoring films and television for 40 years and has composed over 100 scores for film, TV and theatre, becoming the first woman to win an Academy Award in the category of Best Musical or Comedy Score in 1996 for 'Emma' and the first woman to receive a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music
Composition for a Mini Series, Movie or a Special in 2015 for 'Bessie'.

The album is available digitally and CD and vinyl version on March 3, 2023 !

More info at: Composer Rachel Portman Official Site