Choose artist...
Stories   >   Cliff Eidelman chats about his 'Symphony No. 2' with New Jersey Net's 'Cadenza'

Stories for December 08, 2024

Top 10 for Dec

More Albums with Cliff Eidelman

Cliff Eidelman chats about his 'Symphony No. 2' with New Jersey Net's 'Cadenza'

Posted: September 13, 2024

Cliff Eidelman broke into film scoring at the age of 22 when a performance recording of one of the two concert music commissions, the ballet Once Upon a Ruler and Celebration Symphony Overture he composed at Santa Monica City College reached director Monica Teuber. She was so impressed that she asked him to write some music based on the reading of her script. Eidelman composed eleven pieces and recorded the music at his home studio while still a student of music composition at the University of Southern California. Teuber hired him to write his first film score, Magdalene (1988), which starred Nastassja Kinski. The young composer took full advantage of this opportunity, launching his career with a huge 75 minute score. At only 22 years of age, Eidelman conducted the Munich Symphony using a 110 piece orchestra, 60 piece choir and 30 piece children's choir.

When director Richard Pearce heard the Magdalene score playing one morning on KCRW, he had his producers call Eidelman, that afternoon, to offer him the HBO film Dead Man Out (1988) which earned him a nomination for an Ace award.

Within a year of completing his first film score he was approached by director Robert Young to score his epic drama of WWII, Triumph of the Spirit. It was 1989 and Eidelman was just 24. The score was impressive and deeply moving, dramatically capturing the story of survival against all odds in a German concentration camp. So much so that it has caught the attention of many conductors since its composition and been performed by numerous orchestras. Eidelman created a suite from the score that was performed in June 2003 by The Los Angeles Master Chorale under the direction of Grant Gershon for their final concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion prior to moving to Disney Hall. Soon after the release of the film Triumph of the Spirit, legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith took a real interest in Eidelman's career. In an interview in 1999, he commented "Cliff Eidelman is a great talent with amazing potential."

One of the few Los Angeles-born composers, Cliff Eidelman (born 1964) began his formal musical training at the age of 8, studying the violin. A few years later he switched to guitar as his main instrument and began performing and writing songs for his band, playing at local Los Angeles clubs before age 14. He studied Jazz guitar at the Guitar Institute of Technology before attending college and formally studying composition and conducting.

Although he is known foremost as a composer, Eidelman has conducted all of his film scores. He has conducted The Metropolitan Orchestra of London, The Munich Symphony and Chorus, Unione Musicisti Di Roma and Chorus, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Seattle Symphony Orchestra and many first call pick up orchestras for his film scores. The recognition he garnered prompted Varese Sarabande Records to pursue Eidelman for conducting projects. On two recordings, he conducted works by Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Walton, Rozsa and Rota.

As one of the youngest composers to score a feature film, Eidelman has amassed an impressive body of work from film to the concert hall. He has created symphonic scores, musically captured the epic proportions of faith and despair, the whimsies of comic entertainment, and the intimacies of the human heart with a lone guitar, a one hundred piece orchestra, a solo piano and every formation in-between. Experience has given him an ease and maturity that allows his creativity to find the musical heart and vocabulary of intimate and epic films, as well as concert pieces and songs. Cliff Eidelman soars while exploring the subtle nuances and bold expanses of his musical gifts. 

For his Symphony No. 2, Eidelman composed the music and lyrics for this 4 movement, 30 minute symphony. The composer explains,“though it was written during the pandemic, I found myself really looking forward toward hope and optimism. The piece just emerged out of me in an organic free-form style interweaving and developing melodic themes throughout. I went with it and embraced all its non-traditional approaches to form.” Orchestrated for a large orchestra, mezzo-soprano and piano, “the work feels very theatrical to me as if the red curtain rises from a grand stage right from bar 1”.

Composer Cliff Eidelman’s breakthrough came with his score for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and by the age of 24, Eidelman had composed a number of epic scores including the holocaust drama Triumph of the Spirit. His film score credits include The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, He’s Just Not That Into You, One True Thing among many others. The composer has also had a concurrent path in the fields of concert music, ballet, songs and choral music including Symphony for Orchestra and Two Pianos recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, The Tempest, recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Night in the Gallery recorded by Members of the London Symphony Orchestra, all conducted by the composer. Wedding in the Night Garden, composed for mezzo- soprano, string orchestra and choir was performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale. 

The Five Tales recorded by pianist Michael McHale and Bridges recorded by pianist Jenny Lin were both composed for solo piano.

Cliff Eidelman: Symphony No. 2 is his most recent composition. Featured is mezzo-soprano Jessie Shulman. Originally from England, Jessie is an accomplished studio singer, concert soloist and chamber musician based in Los Angeles. Jessie has developed a career as a versatile and sought-after artist gaining recognition for her expressive vocals and captivating performances.

Also featured on the work is Michael McHale. Established as one of Ireland’s leading pianists, Michael has a busy international career as a recitalist, soloist and chamber musician. Previous collaborations with Cliff Eidelman include world premiere recordings and performances of The Five Tales for solo piano, Night in the Gallery and Symphony for Orchestra and Two Pianos with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Eidelman spoke with New Jersey Net - Cadenza host and producer, David Osenberg about the Symphony.   LISTEN