Review: BBC PROMS: PROM 34: 21ST-CENTURY SOUNDTRACKS, Royal Albert Hall

Film scores are a powerful and integral part of film making and the love of cinema; music serving as guides throughout films to provide emotional depth, create empathy, build tension, and even surprise us. The 34th 2024 BBC Prom showcased the talent of composers behind the scores of some of the most intriguing films of the past decade.

Even for those unfamiliar with the films, including the soon-to-be-released Sing Sing, 2022’s Oscar-winning war drama All Quiet on the Western Front, and the classical music drama Tár, the music showcased at this BBC Prom stands out for its powerful storytelling ability.

Many of these arrangements and performances have never been performed in concert before, making their debut at the Royal Albert Hall a rare delight and privilege.

Robert Ames was conductor, and he also curated the evening's music, enthusiastically leads a superb performance from the London Contemporary Orchestra. The program features a wide variety of themes, from the grand, sweeping movements of Postcards of the Earth to the suspense-filled horror score of The Menu or The Knock at the Cabin.

Edith Bowman, who hosted the evening, introduced each segment of the concert with the enthusiasm of someone who not only loves these scores and the films from which they are taken but also recognises what an exciting opportunity it is to have these works showcased at the BBC Proms.

The storytelling power of a film score is demonstrated to great effect through these excerpts. For example, the impending sense of doom created from the outset of The End We Start From score is highlighted by the percussionists, who lead by building tension and using innovative techniques to produce thematic sounds.

In a spectacular finale, three themes from the Poor Things score are performed. Composed by Jerskin Fendrix, this incredible score received high acclaim following the film's release and earned him an Oscar nomination for his debut film score. Hearing this breathtaking post-modern music performed live at the Royal Albert Hall is truly an honour.

The BBC Proms continues at the Royal Albert Hall until 14 September

Photo credit: Mark Allan

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