The Soundtrack Show

Latest Episodes:

The Phantom Menace - Duel of the Fates Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

Perhaps the most significant piece of Star Wars music of the prequel trilogy, "Duel of the Fates" for chorale and orchestra boldly captures the struggle between light and darkness. We discuss the personal influences that composer John Williams brings to his compositions, and do a full musical analysis of the concert arrangement of this dynamic and exciting piece.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Phantom Menace - A Musical Introduction Mar 05, 2026

Show notes

In 1999, Star Wars and its music were about to change forever. In this introductory episode to the Phantom Menace and prequel trilogy, we discuss how George Lucas and composer John Williams had changed the entertainment industry with their genius, and how their work between trilogies is represented by what we see and hear on screen.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Middle-Earth Sound Design: an Interview with David Farmer (Part II) Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

Part 2 of our interview with The Lord of the Rings sound designer David Farmer. We discuss the sounds of the Balrog, the Ents, and other various creatures across all three films. David also describes his technical workflow, and speaks with great fondness about the many months he spent in New Zeland with the crew.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Middle-Earth Sound Design: an Interview with David Farmer (Part I) Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

The Lord of the Rings sound designer David Farmer joins us for an interview about his work on the films of Middle-Earth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Two Towers - the Music (Part V) Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Two Towers - the Music (Part IV) Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

Part IV of The Two Towers focuses on the love story of Aragorn and Arwen, as well as the poems of Tolkien that can be found in the orchestral score. We also break down an exciting action cue, and look at how Howard Shore's music tells the centuries-long story of Gandalf.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Two Towers - the Music (Part III) Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

Part III of our look at The Two Towers focuses on Gollum, Treebeard and more. We also discuss how the music blends themes and story points together.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Two Towers - the Music (Part II) Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

Part II of our examination of The Two Towers focuses on the kingdom of Rohan. We examine its modal melodies and how they are first introduced to us, we listen to how they're orchestrated, and we take a deep dive into Rohan's Anglo-Saxon roots.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Two Towers - the Music (Part I) Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

Our journey through Middle-earth continues as we begin discussing the music of The Two Towers. We discuss the structural challenges of bringing the middle portion of LOTR's giant story to the silver screen, and examine just how composer Howard Shore's thematic score assists in holding the plot together.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Star Trek the Original Series - the Music (Part IV) Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

Our final look at the music of Star Trek puts us in the position of the show's music editors and composers. With so many classic episodes to get through, how did they stretch their music budget to cover an entire season? The music of Sol Kaplan, Joseph Mullendore, Gerald Fried and Fred Steiner is examined, and we also look at a series of clever music edits for tracked scores.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected