Â鶹Éç

Donald Macleod talks to Debbie Wiseman about composing for the screen.

Debbie Wiseman has over two hundred credits for her music, ranging from television and film, to the concert hall and music for royal pageantry. Not only is she a multi-award winning composer, but also a pianist and conductor, often performing in and recording her own works. Wiseman also works as a Visiting Professor at a number of academic institutions including the Royal College of Music. As a composer for the concert hall, Wiseman has collaborated with Hayley Westenra, Stephen Fry, Nigel Havers, Vanessa Redgrave and Alan Titchmarsh. She has provided music for two royal anniversaries, including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrated on the river Thames. Donald Macleod visits Debbie Wiseman at her home in London to discuss her long and varied career.

Today, Donald and Debbie discuss her approach to writing music for film and television. They talk about the joys and challenges of collaborating with directors and how music and storytelling work together. They also shine the spotlight on a different kind of musical narrative, in her work for narrator and orchestra, the Ugly Duckling.

Lighthouse (The Easiest Killing)
Studio Orchestra
Debbie Wiseman, conductor

The Promise (excerpts)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Debbie Wiseman, conductor

Warriors (excerpts)
Studio Singers and Orchestra
Debbie Wiseman, conductor

Edie (excerpts)
National Symphony Orchestra
Debbie Wiseman, conductor

The Ugly Duckling
Nigel Havers, narrator
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Debbie Wiseman, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for Â鶹Éç Wales