Philomusica return to Aberystwyth to entertain you with some of the best film music of the 20th century.

From the early days of British film we will have the Adagio of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2, featured in Brief Encounter (1945). This was David Lean’s fourth and most famous collaboration with Noel coward, and it was at the insistence of Coward that his favourite piano concerto was used. This turned out to be inspirational for the film.

Two major Broadway shows from the 1950s will also be played in their concert versions. Bernstein’s West

Side Story, in Bernstein’s own Symphonic Dances, and Frederick Lowe’s My Fair Lady, in A symphonic Picture arranged by Richard Russell Bennett. Both of these very successful stage shows went on to become films, receiving many Oscar nominations.

Jerome Moross’s Big Country title theme is one of the most popular western themes written for William Wyler’s epic film, again from the 1950s. Moross, a composer in his own right like Bernstein and Loewe, scored 16 films for Hollywood. The Big Country score was inspired by Moross’s love of the wide open spaces of the west and he created a new type of ‘western music’ inspiring future film scores of the genre.

Finally Philomusica present a medley of John Williams’ most famous film themes, stretching from his

early collaboration with a young Stephen Spielberg to his Star Wars with George Lucas. In 2004 Williams was the recipient of the Kennedy Centre Honors which included a performance of his classic scores. Paul Lavender adapted the televised musical tribute into a concert edition for

orchestra called, A Tribute to John Williams. Linking that into Robert W Smiths arrangement, Star Wars Epic, you will hear many themes from his films.

Watch Philomusica in action at Aberystwyth Arts Centre from 7.30pm on Saturday, 14 March.