James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer were brought together to work for Christopher Nolan when he took up the reins of the film franchise. The orchestra is joined by London Music Works for the intense “Aggressive Expansion” from The Dark Knight, which use some of their “Why So Serious?” The track does a good job of getting the heart pumping.
The animated adventures get their due with tracks from Shirley Walker’s work on Batman: Mask of the Phantom and Christopher Drake’s “End Credits” from the anime-influenced Batman: Gotham Knight. The chorus contributes to both.
No album of Batman music would be complete without a nod to the most famous adaptation in the entire franchise. Neal Hefti’s theme to the television series is the epitome of the 1960s — blending together surf music and a score from spy films — and is a classic. Nelson Riddle’s jazzy score from the “Main Title” of Batman (1966) uses many bits from his work from the series. London Music Works performs them both.
It would be a mistake to think The Music of Batman is something only for comic book or movie fans. The talent of the composers and the performers on display is something many music fans can appreciate as well.
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