There’s a surprisingly straight line from Richard Wagner to modern film music—especially through composers like Erich Wolfgang Korngold and John Williams.

Leitmotifs, massive orchestration, emotional storytelling—it’s all there on the big screen with people who never would go to a classical music concert enjoying orchestral music that would be home in a symphony or opera.

I gave a talk on this (with clips from Vertigo, Citizen Kane, and Star Wars) if anyone wants to go down the rabbit hole of film music that should appeal to people who like classical music.

It's on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy-jzIxaBpM

Even Alex Ross was kind enough (along with my mother) to say nice things about this talk, so I’m legally obligated to mention that. And maybe the Wagner family will ask for royalties....

One of Wagner’s greatest legacies is his profound influence on film music—an art form heard by millions and grounded in his orchestral sound and use of evolving themes as “moments of memory.” There are many masters of this music, including Korngold, Steiner, Herrmann, Waxman, Rosza, Rota, Morricone, and John Williams, along with many other "classically" trained composers who worked in film.

I'd like to share this talk (about 90 minutes long) that I delivered last October to the Wagner Society of Washington, D.C., on Wagner and film music - It's fun, and I hope it's informative. You'll hear some great music and see clips from some great films - the Godfather, Citizen Kane, Vertigo, and Star Wars included -- https://youtu.be/yy-jzIxaBpM. And as a "brag," New Yorker music critic Alex Ross watched the recording and wrote me that it was "An excellent overview of a rich and broad subject."

Please feel free to share this!!