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Artist: James Newton Howard
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James Newton Howard:

All The Light We Cannot See fr. Netflix Series

Sony Music Masterworks today releases ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE (SOUNDTRACK FROM THE NETFLIX LIMITED SERIES) by Emmy Award-winning and nine-time Oscar-nominated composer JAMES NEWTON HOWARD. Available everywhere now, the album features music written by Howard for Netflix’s new limited series, which is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a young girl who is blind in World War II-occupied France. A deeply personal project, Howard read the book shortly after it was published and immediately resonated with its themes of courage and human connection, prompting the composer to actively seek out the adaptation once hearing production had begun. The result is a beautifully moving and poignant score that showcases the extraordinary and redemptive power of human connection. Directed by Shawn Levy, All The Light We Cannot See is available now exclusively on Netflix – watch here.

In speaking about his start on All The Light We Cannot See, composer James Newton Howard first admits, “I had written a couple of themes before I even saw any picture.” A longtime fan of Anthony Doerr’s acclaimed novel since its publication in 2014, Howard was immediately drawn to the story’s message of human courage, resilience and connection. It’s a message the composer hopes translates to listeners, saying, “I wanted to convey that the human spirit is resilient and capable of facing the greatest dangers.” In establishing the core themes of his score, Howard attempted to stay true to each character’s point of view, creating an essentially orchestral score with a significant amount of electronics to add depth and drama. His “Model City” theme, which features a distinctive violin solo written especially for acclaimed violinist James Ehnes, ultimately became the emotional centerpiece of the score – a piece that carries over from protagonist Marie’s youth into her teenage years.

James Newton Howard:

THE HUNGER GAMES -THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES

Sony Music Masterworks today releases THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE) by award-winning composer JAMES NEWTON HOWARD. Available everywhere now, the album features original score music written by Howard for the new prequel to the massively popular dystopian film franchise. Howard makes his return to the world of Panem after scoring the franchise’s original four films, part of the composer’s longstanding creative relationship with director Francis Lawrence. Featured throughout the album’s 40 tracks is global superstar pianist YUJA WANG, infusing the score with her extraordinary musicality and lyricism. The soundtrack is also set to be released in vinyl format, arriving on colored discs enclosed in a 2-LP gatefold set alongside liner notes and stills from the film – preorder now. Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is now in theaters – watch the trailer. 

The prequel takes place 64 years before the events of the first film. In composing the score for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Howard embraced the opportunity to compose a fully orchestral score with a minimal amount of electronics. “The challenge for composing scores for movies is always about storytelling and connecting with the unique tone of the movie,” Howard says of the process. Utilizing baroque instruments like the viola de gamba and cello d’amore was effective in evoking a more rural, folk feel to the score, both a nod to the prequel’s earlier time period and also a stylistic extension of the original songs performed throughout by lead Rachel Zegler. 

James Newton Howard:

Night after Night

Night After Night: Music from the Movies of M. Night Shyamalan celebrates one of the richest collaborations between a contemporary film director and a composer – an all-new recording of music for M. Night Shyamalan’s most acclaimed films by the Emmy®- and Grammy®-winning composer and nine-time Oscar® nominee James Newton Howard. The Sony Classical album will be released on October 20, 2023 and is available now for preorder.  

Included on Night After Night are highlights from Howard’s haunting scores that became part of the identity of eight of Shyamalan’s eerie, mind-bending thrillers – The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002), The Village (2004), Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010) and After Earth (2013).

For this album, James Newton Howard created eight suites that are piano centric and include new and original material.  Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs throughout the recording. Violinist Hilary Hahn recreates her contributions to the soundtrack recording of the score for The Village, and cellist Maya Beiser reprises her performance of “An Event” from The Happening soundtrack. Gavin Greenaway conducts the orchestra and chorus in Howard’s new arrangements.