America’s classical music tradition might not stack up to Europe’s centuries of acheivement, but in the oft-overlooked area of film scoring, American composers have carved out an impressive niche. “When the film and the music are great, the results can be stunning – with a score that plays almost continuously for longer than most great symphonies. Picture Psycho without Bernard Herrmann’s electrified, staccato strings, or “The Third Man” without Anton Karas’ burbling zither… For nearly a century, movie scores have helped to propel a popular medium, and at the same time have surreptitiously exposed audiences of millions to the joys of the orchestra without requiring them to buy a ticket to the local symphony hall.”