Contemporary Classical Meets Pop Culture

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I'm interested in hearing about cases where music by modern composers has been used in films, TV, advertisements, and any other manifestations of popular culture.

The following come to my mind:

The use of a number of pieces by Ligeti in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ligeti and Penderecki also figure in some other Kubrick films.

Arvo Pärt's Cantus is used in the 9/11 scenes in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911.

Philip Glass has written a bunch of film scores. More obscurely, I heard the waltz mvt. from Schnittke's Piano Quintet in some show on Russian TV, but I can't remember what it was.

Others? (and please, nobody mention Carmina Burana)

[not edward]

Volker Schlöndorff's The Ninth Day uses huge amounts of Schnittke (the first cello concerto and first concerto grosso).

Terence Davies' The House of Mirth used part of Feldman's Rothko Chapel.

[jochanaan]

John Corigliano wrote the score for Altered States, and I believe for several other films...

[Scarpia]

I remember being surprised when "Die Hard 2" used an extended excerpt from Sibelius' Finlandia during the climactic final scene and closing credits.

[CRCulver]

Per Nørgård has written the music for some films. But for me, hiss most interesting encounter with pop culture is in 1970, when he composed a long electronic work called Calendar Music that was meant to be played during breaks on Danish television. Based on the infinity series with its capability for extremely slow tempos, the piece was to slowly change as the year went by. But it immediately provoked an outcry, as many didn't want this modern music (of a distinctly psychadelic bent) broadcast constantly into their homes, and the plan was quickly discarded.

[The new erato]

I remember being surprised when "Die Hard 2" used an extended excerpt from Sibelius' Finlandia during the climactic final scene and closing credits.

Probably because the director, Rennie Harlin, is a Finn. And that scene is a cold one, IIRC.

[Cato]

The pig movie Babe (in)famously used part of the final movement from the Saint-Saens Third Symphony.   

Some might find that a most appropriate use! 

[karlhenning]

The pig movie Babe (in)famously used part of the final movement from the Saint-Saens Third Symphony.   

Some might find that a most appropriate use! 

I've heard of that use of the Saint-Saëns, but it's a movie I've never seen.

No plans to see it, either . . . .

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

an extended excerpt from Sibelius' Finlandia

the Saint-Saens Third Symphony.   

These examples are stretching it. Nothing modern or contemporary about Sibelius and S-S, unless you're using a very big time scale. Like the guy I met at a concert who didn't enjoy a Bruckner symphony because "I don't much like modern music."

Per Nørgård has written the music for some films.

Nørgård wrote the score to one of my favorite films of the 1980s, Babette's Feast. I recall it as being rather unobtrusive mood music, however. Schnittke also wrote some film scores - for a modernist composer working in the USSR, it was a sensible way to support oneself.

I've often thought it would be a good idea to make a moody noir-ish flick using exclusively the music of the Second Viennese School. Picture a detective walking through rainy streets to the strains of Verklärte Nacht, or a murder being committed to the second of Webern's Six Orchestral Pieces. 

[karlhenning]

Nørgård wrote the score to one of my favorite films of the 1980s, Babette's Feast. I recall it as being rather unobtrusive mood music, however.

Very interesting . . . I remember watching the film back in the late 80s.  Don't remember aught of the music (which fits in with your finding it "unobtrusive mood music."

[karlhenning]

Very interesting . . . I remember watching the film back in the late 80s.  Don't remember aught of the music (which fits in with your finding it "unobtrusive mood music."

Early in the day . . . I failed to close the parenthesis.)

[petrarch]

Nørgård wrote the score to one of my favorite films of the 1980s, Babette's Feast. I recall it as being rather unobtrusive mood music, however.

Yes, indeed. It goes really well with the film.

Another "modern" that wrote a number of good soundtracks is Zbigniew Preisner; he is especially known for his scoring of Krzysztof Kieślowski's films. One of the things I like in his music is its simplicity while at the same time sounding very refined in terms of timbral colors.

[Szykneij]

Eyes Wide Shut -- Ligeti and Shostakovich, as well as Liszt and Mozart.

[Drasko]

I liked Henze's score for Schlöndorff's Der junge Törless. Takemitsu wrote a lot of film music, most famous probably Kurosawa's Ran, but also Kobayashi's Harakiri and Kwaidan and Teshigahara's Woman in the Dunes.

Not contemporary but Revueltas' Sensemaya was used in Miller/Rodriguez' Sin City, it hardly can get more pop than that.

[Cato]

I am no great fan of P. Glass but his score for The Illusionist fit very nicely!

[Szykneij]

I am no great fan of P. Glass but his score for The Illusionist fit a very nicely!

Yes. Before the movie started, I wondered why period style music wasn't used, but it did turn out to be a very effective soundtrack.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Others? (and please, nobody mention Carmina Burana)

Here's another one. I was watching the TV series True Detective recently, and they used extended excerpts from John Adams' Harmonielehre, during an orgy scene no less. It was really quite effective.

[Jo498]

Not quite contemporary but both "Being John Malkovich" and "Shining" use Bartok's Music for strings, percussion and celesta, I think. The latter might also have some Ligeti in it?

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Not quite contemporary but both "Being John Malkovich" and "Shining" use Bartok's Music for strings, percussion and celesta, I think. The latter might also have some Ligeti in it?

I don't remember if The Shining uses Ligeti but it does use Penderecki (Utrenja and The Dream of Jacob).

[Todd]

The Shining uses Lontano.  Including Kubrick in this type of thread is almost cheating.