The Archive with Jason Drury: Episode 39 - Part 2

·1 hr 30 min·5 clips

Why did a session violinist quit the London Symphony Orchestra to become a BAFTA-winning composer?

The episode begins with host Jason Drury introducing the show from Ramsgate, England, and thanking Patreon supporters. He plays Pueblo's Variants from the ITV series Proro, composed by Christopher Gunning. Drury then transitions to a 2017 interview clip with composer Mark Thomas, who recalls his last session as a violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra on James Horner's Willow score in 1988. Thomas explains his decision to leave orchestral playing to become a full-time composer, citing creative dissatisfaction and the intellectual challenge of solving problems with music. The episode pays tribute to Thomas, who died in 2023, and mentions other composer deaths including Jim Parker and Carl Davies. Next, Drury discusses the recently released score for Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Danny Zeltzlin, noting Zeltzlin's background as a jazz pianist and psychiatrist. The show then features Cliff Eidelman's memories of scoring Triumph of the Spirit, where he incorporated Ladino choral elements. Drury introduces the controversial score for Cannibal Holocaust by Riz Ortolani, describing its mournful orchestral cues. He shares an excerpt from an interview with Alex Belcher about scoring Extraction, focusing on using junkyard sounds and misappropriated instruments. The episode concludes with music from Debbie Wiseman's live album Signature, performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, including a suite from the film Wilde. Drury signs off with credits and promotional details.

As heard by us

A thoughtful archive tour of rare film scores, composer context, and soundtrack rediscoveries.

Cinematic Sound Radio's Archive Show treats film music history as something worth digging into carefully, moving from Christopher Gunning's original theme to the classic ITV series Proro and Danny Zeltzlin's only film score, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a patient Archive visit through film music past: Proro, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Triumph of the Spirit all get their turn.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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