Christopher Gunning - News / Diary

Hello, and welcome to my web site. From time to time I write some words on this page which you might find of interest – and if so (or if not!) no doubt you will email me and let me know.

I am astonished by the number of people from countries as far away as Iran, Japan, Equador, South Africa, Ukraine and Russia who have visited my web site, and the interest shown in my film and television music makes it all worthwhile. Of course the enquiries usually concern something which is currently on air, but I have received emails about films and television programmes which I worked on ten or even twenty years ago. In fact I recentley heard that my first ever feature score is to be released by Harkit Records; “Goodbye Gemini” was written early in the seventies.

Many people ask how to get hold of my CDs - and although things are improving, there are still some problems. At the moment we only sell one CD directly to the public (see later.) Unfortunately record companies have a nasty habit of deleting soundtracks almost as soon as they are released, and I have fallen victim to this practice. The Virgin CD of Agatha Christie’s Poirot is one of several no longer generally available, and this is particularly galling since I receive requests for it several times each week. The title track is, however, now available on "Skylines" (see later.) “Firelight” is another oft-requested score, as is "Wild Africa." Soundtrack collectors tend to have perseverance, though, and I have learned that if you look hard enough there will be a dealer somewhere who will have the very CD you want.

Perhaps I should mention “Backtrack” in Rye, UK, which has a huge catalogue of film soundtracks. There are also several in the US. If all else fails, you could try Ebay, or placing the CDs on your wish list at Amazon.com.

Throughout 2006 I was working, on and off, on "La Mome," a feature film starring Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf. Marion has gone on to win an Oscar and a BAFTA award for Best Actress. She gives an extraordinary and wonderful performance. I have also won the BAFTA award for Best music, and a Czech LION award too. For me it was a great project to work on. First, we re-recorded several of Piaf's earlier songs, and Jil Aigrot, who has spent her life studying Piaf's vocal style, sang them. Then, once the filming was complete, I composed the original score starting with the "ABC" sequence. This is a high point in the film: you see Piaf singing, but do not hear her. Lastly, in addition to the score, I reworked some more of Piaf's songs, this time adding a British orchestra to the original tracks to radically improve the stereo picture. This was technically not easy!

If you have any interest in Piaf, or even if you don't, I can recommend the film. Marion Cotillard's performance is fantastic.

My most recent "Poirot" scores were “Five Little Pigs", “Sad Cypress", “The Hollow", and “Death on the Nile". These involved completely new production teams and the change in style aroused a good deal of interest. Several people still write to me asking why the famous tune disappeared. Well - it didn't entirely, although you will have to be an attentive listener to recognise it at the end of some of the films and a few passing references elsewhere. Why no grand statement of it at the beginning and end? It was felt by the producers that having a prominent signature tune would make these new productions feel like episodes in a TV series rather than feature films. In other words, each film should have its own music in its own style. I think we achieved that goal, but there will be those who hanker after the tune ............ Okay! All may not be lost if I ever achieve a goal of issuing another CD of “Poirot” music, but in the meantime you will have to make do with the theme tune - it appears on my new "Skylines" CD. I was asked to work on the 2005 series, but couldn't because of unavailability, and have not been asked to write the next batch of films about to be made in 2007.

“Rosemary and Thyme” starring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris, has now finished production with no plans to make any further programmes. The theme, played by the wonderful John Williams, is requested a lot, and the CD is available in your shops and directly from Sanctuary Classics - there is a link to their web site in the 'discography' section. By the way, the Rosemary and Thyme website is absolutely excellent, and you can see it at www.rosemaryandthyme.tv

I am still waiting for “Lighthouse Hill” to appear, starring Frank Finlay and Maureen Lipman. “The Boy David” has been shown in several cinemas and attracted an unusual amount of attention for a documentary.

I have now finished symphony no 4 and am trying to find an orchestra brave enough to include it in a concert. I have also recently completed a clarinet concerto, and this and the oboe concerto are waiting for opportunities for live performances. These, as is the case with all my 'concert' pieces, are labours of love. Headway is difficult, but there is some good news in that we have just recorded Symphonies 3 and 4 and my Oboe Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. My daughter, Verity, was the accomplished soloist in the concerto. I composed it for her towards the end of 2004. Meanwhile, anyone interested in my concert music can try the Piano Concerto, Storm, and Symphony no 1 on the Albany label, the Lobster on Meridian, and the Saxophone Concerto on Sanctuary.

In 2007 we released an album entitled "Skylines." It was a new departure and at the moment it is sold only via this web site.

What is it?

A collection of instrumentals, most of which are new but with one or two old favourites too. "The Belgian Detective," theme from Agatha Christie's Poirot, is one track. Another is a completely new version of my Martini theme, heavily influenced by a recent trip to Rio de Janeiro. I've also made a full version of the music from another commercial of which I have always been fond, and it's called "A Theme for Black Magic." Another track is a development of a signature tune I wrote for a TV talk show called "What's your Problem?" The new pieces are sometimes sweet and gentle (Sweet Child) and sometimes up-tempo and jazzy (Interstate 95.) Some are redolent of the 70's, 80's, and 90's. I've had a lot of fun (and a few heartaches) putting ithe whole thing together; iin style, it's the very opposite of what I like to do in my 'concert' music. After all these years, I absolutely refuse to be type-cast..................

March 2008