Program note

I’ve always loved old movies. The music in them is, in my eyes, some of the most beautiful ever created. I’m constantly in awe of what film composers of the past poured into their scores — sweeping melodies, emotional depth, and an unmistakable sense of grandeur. Compared to that, much of today’s film music feels different. It tends to be simpler, often lacking in distinct themes or memorable melodies, and is usually driven more by rhythm and texture than by story-driven motifs. That’s not to say modern film scores have no artistic value — far from it. There is brilliance in subtlety too. But I can’t help mourning the era when music didn’t just accompany the story, but told a story of its own.

War Movie Suite is my attempt to pay tribute to that golden age of film music, or at the very least, an experiment in recreating some of its spirit. The piece is written for full orchestra and weaves together several themes, with variations that explore a wide emotional range. It moves from moments of deep tragedy to passages of high-intensity action, from expressions of love to reflections on sacrifice and a profound gratitude for life and homeland. It’s all there, like chapters of a story told through music alone.

Just imagine if film scores for war dramas could sound like this again — if the backdrop to a tale of love and loss could resonate with such rich orchestration and heartfelt themes. The cinematic experience would feel all the more alive, the emotions more vivid and deeply felt.

In writing War Movie Suite, I drew heavily on the works of composers like William Walton and Ron Goodwin, whose soundtracks captured that era so perfectly. In fact, Ron Goodwin’s iconic theme for Battle of Britain is almost directly quoted here, as a small homage to his enduring legacy.

In the end, this piece is a love letter to a time when film music was unabashedly emotional, unafraid to soar — and a quiet hope that it might, one day, soar again.