Music greats Michael Giacchino and Clint Mansell engage in a dialogue about film audio composition
Michael Giacchino, one of today's most successful film composers, and Clint Mansell, renowned for his work in the film industry, recently collaborated in a unique concert event. The show featured the world premiere recording of Final Symphony, an orchestral arrangement that brings together music from Final Fantasy VI, VII, and X.
Giacchino, who began his career composing music for video games, has a long-standing working partnership with director and producer J.J. Abrams. Together, they have created memorable scores for films such as The Incredibles and Star Trek. In the same vein, Mansell has collaborated with director Darren Aronofsky on films like Black Swan and Noah.
Final Symphony, which was created as an orchestral arrangement by composers including Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu, was officially licensed by Square Enix. The concert series performing this music has been conducted by Arnie Roth and features the London Symphony Orchestra. Notably, composer Nobuo Uematsu was present during the recording of Final Symphony.
The second half of the show saw Clint Mansell discussing the Lux Aeterna cue from Requiem for a Dream, a piece of music that has since become commonly used in movie trailers, commercials, and TV shows. Mansell was also known for composing the music for Black Swan.
The interview with Giacchino and Mansell was broadcast on Saturday Night at the Movies at 5pm. The event took place on Saturday 21 February 2015.
Steven Spielberg first insisted that Giacchino use a full symphony orchestra on his score for The Lost World video game, a decision that has paid off as Giacchino has also composed the music for the movie Up.
Final Symphony, first performed in May 2013, has enjoyed sell-out success in Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. The concert series continues to captivate audiences with its blend of classic video game music and the grandeur of a live orchestra.
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