Welcome back to Scoring for Films with Vito Lo Re and Fabrizio Campanelli. So, this time we've reinvented a new "Maestri's Challenge." Last time we put together two big teams... I think maybe you won that one... I think I'll win again today... But we'll have to see at the end of the championship... Alright, let me remind you of the ground rule: we only pick living composers...

I'll jump right into it with Pierre Adenot. Because you love the French, we know. Exactly, vive la France. Pierre Adenot, a French composer who gave us a wonderful soundtrack for the film "Romantics Anonymous." For me, Adenot is a beacon, in the sense that he managed, in this comedy, to bring in the key characteristics of the French approach: elegance, refinement, taste, originality, and a brilliant inventiveness both melodically and harmonically. I don't know this one. Now you've got me curious.

And because of that, I decided to put Adenot at the back, in defense, protecting the goal. But also able of having that propulsive drive to push the team forward when needed. Okay, instead, I'll start with my goalkeeper. My goalkeeper is Randy Edelman, who has written many soundtracks, but the one I’m most attached to is definitely "Dragonheart," which we are listening to in the background right now. It also had huge success, not just in the film, but in trailers. Many of the scores he composed were widely used in movie trailers, like Forrest Gump...

Harry Potter... The Truman Show... Maybe one day we could do an episode on music for trailers. Maybe talking about Two Steps From Hell, who have now split up... but who wrote 10 years' worth of trailer music... I like him – aside from this beautiful theme – because he's an old-school composer, so in a way, not an innovator.

78 years old, huh... A tough guy... American for American, but he's not 78... Theodore Shapiro. He's one of those composers who can easily transition from an extremely dramatic film to a comedy. I'll never forget "The Devil Wears Prada." The series in this case, is called "Severance." The main title is stunning, stunning.

And as you said, that versatility that allows him to switch from one musical language to its exact opposite is the reason why I put him forward on the right wing, because he can score goals. But he can also fall back, he can defend, he can really play multiple roles. Well, Severance – beyond the soundtrack – is a truly beautiful series, visually stunning as well... with incredible cinematography. And Ben Stiller is behind it... We highly recommend it!

Right wing for right wing, American for American, I counter with John Ottman, one of the most beloved composers of that generation. These composers are around 50 years old, so not young anymore, but not old yet. Ottman – with the music we're listening to from "The Usual Suspects" – wrote some of the most beautiful themes of the past decades, in my opinion, and overall the whole soundtrack had a huge influence on many composers, including myself; I owe more than one inspiration to that soundtrack. Certain aspects of that musical language I’ve carried into some of my own soundtracks, especially "The Girl in the Fog." So credit where credit is due. Did he win an Oscar? As a composer?...

No. No, because Ottman is not just a great composer: he's also an editor and director. In fact, in "The Usual Suspects" he was both composer and editor. But he won the Oscar for "Bohemian Rhapsody" as an editor. So, Fabri, being both an editor and a composer makes your life easier... The editor edits the film and often makes changes, cuts...

adds... and is both a blessing and a curse for every composer... Because the editor sends you a scene; you score it, and then the editor decides to cut something and your music no longer works! So you constantly have to adapt your music to the latest edit. Anyway, the combination of music and visuals in "The Usual Suspects" is incredible. Your team is gaining a lot of experience and a certain technical depth.

It's time for me to put someone in goal. And I choose Justin Hurwitz with something very well known: "Audition" from the soundtrack of "La La Land." It’s one of my absolute favorite films. You know I haven’t seen it?... Guys, you can’t just spend all day watching movies and series!... Now I’m going to put my hand in front of the camera, punch you, and then we’ll move on... Anyway, Hurwitz saves them all.

Well, he might save them all, but I already put John Ottman on the right center, so on the left center, I’m adding some creativity with Abel Korzeniowski, who to me is the most talented composer of his generation. He’s truly one with broad shoulders, someone who really can compose. A great composer. I adore him, I’ve followed him for a long time. I first heard him in "A Single Man" by Tom Ford, but you’re presenting him with "Nocturnal Animals," Tom Ford’s second film. Beautiful movie, beautiful soundtrack.

I have great admiration for Korzeniowski, not just for his talent, but because he started in Poland, then moved to America, made several Hollywood films, yet still often returns to Europe and has worked with Italian directors as well. He has great taste, strong creativity, and a unique musical voice. Why do I like him? Because coming from outside that world, he kept his artistic vision consistent. I also recommend listening to the soundtrack of "The Nun," which is a very well-made horror series. You know, many people who go to Hollywood tend to mimic a musical style that isn’t truly theirs...

He maintained his identity. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t make tons of Hollywood films... He could make many more. But he has received two Golden Globe nominations: one for "A Single Man" and another for "W.E." So, Korzeniowski—born in 1972—can really give my team a hard time, so now I need to place someone with great stability: Cliff Martinez. With a piece we hear very often on a show called "Report," related to mysterious financial affairs. In fact, the film it’s from is "Arbitrage," and the track is called "All Business." There are many Cliff Martinez scores that have influenced me.

He’s scored all of Soderbergh’s films. "Traffic"—fantastic! With three different color schemes for the three different locations... Cliff Martinez's electronic music is always His electronic sounds are alwasy very evocative, with a lot of contrasts, a refined choice in sound design. And also very original in series like "The Knick," where he created this strong contrast between ultra-modern electronic sounds and 1900s New York—a composer capable of creating music that really leaves a mark, truly shaping a sound that sticks in your mind. You know, I always have a certain admiration for the choice— when it's well executed, of course— of scoring a period film with music that isn’t necessarily from the era in which the film is set.

In part, we also saw this in "All Quiet on the Western Front," and we've seen it in other cases. I don’t always agree with the choice, but I generally respect it. In "The Knick," I was struck by the deliberate contrast of synth sounds— very bold, rough— against the world of early 1900s New York, creating a retro atmosphere. A style that has remained and has been reused in many ways. I really like Cliff Martinez for his sound choices, the way he creates electronic textures that are never predictable, never ordinary. Never ordinary.

Which is how electronic music should be used... otherwise, just leave it alone... Exactly. Well, to counter Cliff Martinez, I bring out another American: Brian Tyler, who I really like. I put him in defense, right in front of the goalkeeper. He has composed dozens of scores, mostly action films; his most famous is "Fast & Furious," and then he also did "Iron Man 3," "Avengers: Age of Ultron"...

basically, all action and adventure films. It could be interesting if one day we talked about how certain composers are categorized within a genre. Absolutely. He's pretty much only done films in this genre, but who knows how he’d do in a comedy... Maybe he’d be great. But we often get typecast...

Still, what we want to show you today is something a little outside of the blockbuster circuit— outside Marvel and Fast & Furious—and it's a track called "Circle of Hell," from the 2005 film "Constantine," which I think is one of his best soundtracks, which he co-composed with Klaus Badelt. I recommend watching it, but the soundtrack gives the film an incredible boost. Having Tyler on the field honestly worries me a little. So I have to push forward. And now we’re down to the big shots... Alan Silvestri.

You’ve put Cristiano Ronaldo on the field... Silvestri, the composer of the soundtrack for the most-watched film in cinema history: Avengers: Endgame. But the track I chose by Silvestri is Forrest Gump. And for me, it’s one of the most beautiful pieces, the Forrest Gump Suite is wonderful, Oscar-winning. This is definitely a soundtrack that set a new standard... The impression I get is that we’ve put together two excellent teams, made up of solid professionals, but then you put the superstar in attack.

I need to secure the win. And since I have to counter, I pull Danny Elfman out of the hat. Really one of my top 5-6 favorite composers. Mine too. In fact, there was a long negotiation. But in the end, he joined your team because you offered more!...

So, it’s hard to pick a favorite Elfman soundtrack because they’re all extraordinary. The ones I appreciated the most are precisely those from his collaboration with Tim Burton—think "Beetlejuice," "Edward Scissorhands," "The Nightmare Before Christmas"... But the one I chose is lesser-known: "The Girl on the Train." It's an unexpected Elfman. Yes, it’s a less blockbuster-style Elfman... More European, in a way... A bit more intimate...

A beautiful approach to mystery, to the multiple layers unfolding in the film. It’s a great showcase of Elfman stepping outside his usual path. Alright, as always, you need to write in the comments who wins... Obviously, I’m going to win... And then tell us who you think is the most interesting composer among those we mentioned. And if possible, tell us about other works by these composers that you enjoyed.

We joke around about football, of course, but the main goal is to discover lesser-known pieces by famous composers or instead, great pieces by lesser-known composers. Yes, because in the end, this is a strange profession: there are about ten superstars in the world. And then there are so many incredible composers whose music we’ve probably heard many times. But when we hear their name or see their face, we don’t know who they are. I always play a little game when I give a masterclass for aspiring composers: I show them pictures and I ask: who is this gentleman? Silence...

And who is this one? With Williams and Zimmer, more or less everyone recognizes their faces, but already with Mychael Danna, there’s silence... And even Danny Elfman is not always recognized, so... The language of film music has its own structure, its own coding, its own foundation on which it linguistically builds its base. But it can do so with ever-evolving approaches, some that rely on more classical sound systems like orchestral ones; others, like Cliff Martinez, rely on completely electronic textures. But how each composer makes an impact, leaves a mark, and even creates a foundation that helps us enrich the vocabulary we can use when writing film music.

Alright, so we’ll see you in the next episode. As we said, leave a comment and suggest maybe new teams, new formations. See you next time, bye!