German classical violinist Niklas Liepe is scheduled to release a new album which includes Rachel Portman's '
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According to Based on Georgia Hunter’s bestselling novel, the television adaptation of 'We Were the Lucky Ones' is a limited series inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of World War II, determined to survive and reunite. 'We Were the Lucky Ones' demonstrates how in the face of the twentieth century’s darkest moment, the human spirit can endure and even thrive.
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At the end of November 2023 car manufacturer Chevrolet for the third consecutive year celebrated the holiday season with the release of a promotional video. The film titled “A Holiday To Remember” is over 5 minutes long and directed by Academy Award-winner Tom Hooper. It has a touching storyline about a family reunion, about a grandmother struggling with dementia. For a large part the background music is provided by John Denver’s “Sunshine On My Shoulders”, while according to IMDB.com the original score is by Rachel Portman.
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In September 2023 the German tenor Jonas Kaufmann released his album "Sound Of The Movies". The album includes a vocal version of Rachel Portman's main theme for "The Cider House Rules", which was especially re-arranged by Rachel for the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and put to lyrics by Gene Scheer.
The album includes “Nelle tue mani” from Gladiator, Henry Mancini’s “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Vangelis’ title song from Conquest of Paradise, among others. Great musical hits are also represented: “Maria” from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, the title song from Singin’ in the Rain and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel. And two evergreens by the American star tenor Mario Lanza: “The Loveliest Night of the Year” from The Great Caruso and “Serenade” from The Student Prince.
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On the 15th of October 2023 a recording of the violin concerto "Tipping Points" will premiere on Youtube at 16:00 CET. The newly commissioned concerto, composed by Rachel Portman, was performed by solo violinist Niklas Liepe and the WDR Funkhausorchester and conducted by Erina Yashima at the Funkhaus Wallrafplatz on the 8th of September 2023.
November update: the entire concert of the WDR Funkhausorchester can be viewed here.
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On saturday October 14th 2023 Rachel Portman is the special guest on the BBC 3 radio show 'Sound of Cinema', broadcast at 15:00 UTC.
In this edition of Sound of Cinema, Rachel Portman is the programme’s special guest alongside the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ben Palmer, in a concert given at the orchestra’s Salford studio foregrounding some of Rachel’s best loved film scores. Tom McKinney is in conversation with the composer and together they look back on a rich and varied career which has provided such enduring music to popular movies such as Chocolat, Belle, The Duchess, Oliver Twist, Bel Ami, The Cider House Rules, and the Academy Award-winning Emma.
Read more: Rachel Portman on BBC 3 radio show 'Sound of Cinema'
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On the 28th of September 2023 Rachel Portman's original score for CNN biopic 'Julia' won the Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition at "Documentary Night" of the 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
'Julia' is a 2021 American documentary film directed and produced by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. The documentary chronicles the life of Julia Child, an American chef, author, and television personality.
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In celebration of their 50th anniversary the Gent Film Festival created the '2x25' project, where 25 pieces of music from different composers were used to inspire 25 filmmakers to make a short film. Young filmmaker Diana Cam Van Nguyen chose Rachel Portman's "Bagatelle" (which was composed in 2015 for the 40th anniversay of the film festival) for her short film "Dancing Fruit".
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"Tipping Points" is a newly commissioned concerto for violin, orchestra, and voice, and includes six new poems by poet Nick Drake, interwoven between the six movements of the work. The themes of the 25 minute work, both in the music and the poems are about the powers of nature and the confronting emotions triggered by collapsing ecosystems. They bring together the ancient and the modern. As one of the poems says: "The tipping point of the heart is when it breaks".
Commissioned by WDR Funkhausorchester Köln and Noorlands Opera, "Tipping Points" is a strong statement for the Earth and the environment this work promises to inspire and move. The concerto premieres on the 8th of September 2023 by the WDR Funkhausorchester in Cologne (Germany), and is performed by violinist Niklas Liepe together with singer Alma Naidu.