The Silver Screen Soundtrack Hour - Henry Mancini

Film music sets the mood and helps elicit the emotional responses that make a good movie a great movie. Each week on CharlottesvilleClassical.org, The Silver Screen Soundtrack Hour takes a listen to music from the wide world of film scores.

It’s convenient - and easy - to lump the music of Henry Mancini (1924-1994) into the bourgeois “easy listening” category of the 1960s and 70s. But Mancini was a much more interesting composer.

Sure, he had his share of easily approachable hit songs, like “Moon River,” and “The Days of Wine and Roses,” but he was also a pioneer in the incorporation of jazz stylings into film music, with music for films like Experiment in Terror (1962) and others. In addition, Mancini composed some more conventional and equally memorable scores, such as his music for The White Dawn (1974). 

We’ll dive into the deep pool of Mancini’s output this week on The Silver Screen Soundtrack Hour, including music from Harati (1962), Touch of Evil (1958), Charade (1962), and much more.

Produced and hosted by Ken Nail, The Silver Screen Soundtrack Hour airs on Charlottesvilleclassical.org every Thursday at 9 AM and 6 PM, plus Saturdays at Noon. You can enjoy previous editions of the show by visiting mixcloud.com/cvilleclassical. Visit our Facebook page, or contact Ken on Twitter at @ken_classical.