Archive

December 2025
Dimitri Tiomkin’s steel baton, brought to you by U.S. Steel

Posted on December 14, 2025 by wsherk

Modern conducting batons are generally made of lightweight wood, fiberglass, or carbon fiber. A steel baton? Even Google AI gets tripped up on the concept. “There is no record of a widely recognized, famous, modern orchestral conductor specifically known for … Read More…

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November 2025
Pope Leo picks It’s a Wonderful Life

Posted on November 23, 2025 by wsherk

Who doesn’t love It’s a Wonderful Life? This holiday season we can include Pope Leo XIV as a fan. It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the Pope’s four favorite films, alongside The Sound of Music, Life Is Beautiful, and … Read More…

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October 2025
Tiomkin at MOMI

Posted on October 2, 2025 by wsherk

The Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) is one of only a few museums in the world dedicated to the art, history, and science of motion pictures. It’s must-see on the East coast as is the Academy Museum of Motion … Read More…

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September 2025
Behind the Letter: The British Film Academy courts Tiomkin

Posted on September 15, 2025 by wsherk

When composer William Alwyn wrote to Dimitri Tiomkin in 1954 on behalf of the British Film Academy as the Chair of the Music Committee, the book project under discussion was in its proposal stage. The Technique of Film Music, first … Read More…

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August 2025
Behind the Photograph: Tiomkin and Rasch, 1964

Posted on September 1, 2025 by wsherk
Dimitri Tiomkin with Albertina Rasch and others, 1964

This may be the last known photograph of composer Dimitri Tiomkin and choreographer Albertina Rasch together, taken at a significant and joyous occasion in a crowded Perino’s restaurant in Los Angeles on July 30, 1964. The image was captured at … Read More…

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July 2025
Tiomkin’s Tchaikovsky: the film and music

Posted on August 31, 2025 by wsherk
Tchaikovsky British Quad

Introduction When Tchaikovsky, the first film coproduction between the United States and Soviet Union, was released in Russia in 1970 and the US in 1971, it represented a notable point in composer Dimitri Tiomkin’s professional career. This capping achievement, the … Read More…

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June 2025
Film Foundation restores Duel in the Sun

Posted on July 4, 2025 by wsherk
Duel in the Sun one sheet poster

The 1946 film Duel in the Sun, described by its composer Dimitri Tiomkin as “a romantic, flamboyant picture,” has undergone a restoration process, a joint effort between The Film Foundation; Cineric, Inc.; and Audio Mechanics. The restoration is of the … Read More…

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May 2025
Dimitri Tiomkin: new and recent research

Posted on May 1, 2025 by wsherk

New and recent research on Dimitri Tiomkin reveals the broad range and enviable reach of the four-time Academy Award-winning composer’s work in film. In Hearing Death at the Movies: Film Music and the Long History of the Dies Irae, author … Read More…

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April 2025
IFMCA nominates Tiomkin’s Old Man and the Sea as best archival release of 2024

Posted on April 13, 2025 by wsherk

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) nominated Dimitri Tiomkin’s The Old Man and the Sea soundtrack release by Intrada Records as the best archival release of 2024. The IFMCA organization is comprised of online, print, and radio journalists who … Read More…

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March 2025
Dimitri Tiomkin and the New York Philharmonic

Posted on March 31, 2025 by wsherk
So This Is New York lobby card A

Dimitri Tiomkin’s long association with the Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles Philharmonic has been documented on this website; however, we have neglected to likewise shine light on performances of his music by the New York Philharmonic. This is possible … Read More…

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February 2025
Dimitri Tiomkin’s contribution to Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Posted on March 8, 2025 by wsherk

The Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington title song, “Wild Is the Wind,” from the 1957 film of the same name, plays an important role in one of the five films nominated in January for an Academy Award (Oscar) for Documentary … Read More…

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January 2025
Behind the Photograph: Dimitri Tiomkin and Max Steiner

Posted on February 2, 2025 by wsherk
Lost Horizon recording session, circa 1936-1937

Two emerging titans of film scoring, Dimitri Tiomkin and Max Steiner, appear together on the scoring stage podium for the Columbia Pictures film, Lost Horizon. With right arm raised, conductor Steiner faces the Columbia Studio Orchestra, with instruments at the … Read More…

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December 2024
Intrada releases The Old Man and the Sea soundtrack

Posted on December 2, 2024 by wsherk

Looking for the perfect holiday gift or stocking stuffer for that special person who loves film music? Check out the brand-new recording of Dimitri Tiomkin‘s 1958 Oscar-winning score to The Old Man and the Sea presented by Intrada Records and Volta … Read More…

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November 2024
Where to see and hear IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE!

Posted on November 30, 2024 by wsherk
It's a Wonderful Life one sheet, US

It’s that time of year again and the iconic holiday film, It’s a Wonderful Life, will be back in theaters in December, screening like never before! Experience the film with an audience and enjoy the music score by Dimitri Tiomkin. … Read More…

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October 2024
From High Noon to High Ground, Dimitri Tiomkin would change the course of film music scoring

Posted on November 24, 2024 by wsherk

Dimitri Tiomkin’s unconventional scoring of High Noon, released in the summer of 1952, “in which Tex Ritter strums his guitar as a sort of narration while hero, heroine and villain, love, hate and kill,” began a trend in Hollywood to … Read More…

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September 2024
Behind the Photograph: Dimitri Tiomkin with Morris Stoloff

Posted on September 29, 2024 by wsherk
Dimitri Tiomkin with Morris Stoloff, circa 1936

This undated publicity still shows musical director Morris Stoloff and composer Dimitri Tiomkin, pencil in hand, probably at a desk in Stoloff’s office on the Columbia lot in Hollywood reviewing a music score. The inches-thick stack of pages might be … Read More…

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August 2024
A tribute to soundtrack producer Douglass Fake (1952-2024)

Posted on August 18, 2024 by wsherk

Legendary, supportive, genuinely enthusiastic and insightful. A handful of words referring to Intrada Records soundtrack producer Douglass Fake after his passing in July that only partially convey the magnitude of his reach and influence on a worldwide community of film … Read More…

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July 2024
John Wayne: An American Experience at Fort Worth Stockyards

Posted on July 15, 2024 by wsherk

John Wayne: An American Experience at Fort Worth Stockyards is worthy of a visit if you’re in the vicinity. Dimitri Tiomkin and John Wayne share a long history of moviemaking, including quintessential Westerns: Red River (1948), Rio Bravo (1959), The … Read More…

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June 2024
USC Doheny Library honors Ned Comstock (1955–2024)

Posted on June 27, 2024 by wsherk

Family, friends, and colleagues gathered on May 17 on a sunny Friday afternoon in Los Angeles at the Doheny Library on the campus of the University of Southern California (USC) to honor the life and memory of Ned Comstock. After … Read More…

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May 2024
Intrada releases Night Passage soundtrack

Posted on May 17, 2024 by wsherk

Intrada Records has released the world premiere of the complete motion picture score composed by Dimitri Tiomkin for Night Passage. Shipping now, the CD features Tiomkin’s original music for the 1958 Universal Pictures Western starring James Stewart. Listen to audio … Read More…

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