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Come Together at Abbey Road

Matthew Sweet and Louise Blain team up to mark the 90th anniversary of London’s Abbey Road Studios with a visit reflecting its illustrious history of music for film and for games.

Radio 3’s ‘Sound of…’ marks the 90th anniversary of one of the most famous of all recording studios, London’s Abbey Road. Presenters Matthew Sweet and Louise Blain team up for a special programme for Christmas to mark Abbey Road’s important and illustrious history of making music for film - and more recently for the gaming world. Together they tour the building, taking a keen interest on the legendary Studio 1 - meeting some of the people who have shaped soundtrack recordings there. The programme is lavishly illustrated with music from the Abbey Road catalogue.

Abbey Road began its venture into film in the early 80s and quickly attracted the likes of Miklós Rózsa, John Williams and Stephen Spielberg, Jerry Goldsmith, and James Horner etc. It continues to play a major role in music for international film. One of the first significant scores to be recorded there was Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was soon followed with prestigious catalogue of titles: The Return of the Jedi, The Last Emperor, RoboCop, Aliens, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Skyfall, Gravity, The Shape of Water, Black Panther and so on.
Matthew reflects both on the history, in conversation with engineers Merik Stiles and Ken Townsend, and with Hollywood composer James Newton Howard (The Hunger Games, The Dark Knight, Fantastic Beasts) who has recently been recording there. Meanwhile, Louise talks with Isabel Garvey about links with the world of Gaming. Titles such as Final Fantasy and Call of Duty have passed through Abbey Road’s doors. She meets composer Ilan Eshkeri who rectory recorded ‘Ghost of Tsushima’ there, and with cellist Caroline Dale, who explains some of the challenges that face the musician working on soundtracks.

Available now

36 minutes

Last on

Christmas Day 2021 15:00

Music Played

  • John Lennon

    Come Together

    Composer: Paul McCartney. Performer: The Beatles.
    • Abbey Road.
    • Parlophone.
  • John Williams

    Star Wars: Return of The Jedi - Main Title

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: John Williams.
    • Star Wars · Return Of The Jedi (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
    • RCA VICTOR.
  • Miklós Rózsa

    Eye of the Needle - Prelude

    Orchestra: Nürnberger Symphoniker. Conductor: Miklós Rózsa.
    • Eye Of The Needle (Original Motion Picture Score).
    • Varèse Sarabande.
  • John Williams

    Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) - Raiders March

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: John Williams.
    • Raiders of the Lost Ark – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
    • Silva Screen.
    • 1.
  • Bear McCreary

    Call of Duty: Vanguard - Title

    Orchestra: Studio Orchestra.
    • Call of Duty: Vanguard (Original Game Soundtrack).
    • Activision.
  • John Lennon

    Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

    Composer: Paul McCartney. Performer: The Beatles.
    • Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
    • Parlophone.
  • Jerry Goldsmith

    Outland - The Mine

    Orchestra: National Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Jerry Goldsmith.
    • Outland (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
    • Warner Bros. Records.
  • Anne Nikitin

    American Animals - Crossed the Line

    Orchestra: Studio Orchestra.
    • American Animals (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
    • Elektra.
  • Ilan Eshkeri

    Ghost of Tsushima - The Last of the Clan Adachi

    Orchestra: London Metropolitan Orchestra. Conductor: Robert Ziegler.
    • Ghost Of Tsushima (Music From The Video Game).
    • Sony Classical.
  • Thomas Newman

    1917 - Main Title

    Performer: Caroline Dale. Orchestra: Studio Orchestra. Conductor: Thomas Newman.
    • 1917 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
    • Sony Classical ‎.
    • 1.
  • James Newton Howard

    Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them - Main Titles

    Choir: London Voices. Orchestra: Studio Orchestra. Conductor: Pete Anthony.
    • Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
    • WaterTower Music.
  • James Newton Howard

    Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - Main Titles

    Choir: London Voices. Choir: Trinity Boys Choir. Orchestra: Studio Orchestra. Conductor: Pete Anthony.
    • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
    • WaterTower Music.
  • Chris Rea

    Driving 91Èȱ¬ For Christmas

    Performer: Chris Rea.
    • Driving 91Èȱ¬ For Christmas (The Christmas EP).
    • WEA.
  • John Powell

    How To Train Your Dragon 2 - Dragon Racing

    Orchestra: Studio Orchestra. Conductor: Gavin Greenaway.
    • How To Train Your Dragon 2 - Music from the Motion Picture.
    • Varese Sarabande.

Broadcast

  • Christmas Day 2021 15:00

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