The London Metropolitan Orchestra

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The London Metropolitan Orchestra, abbreviated LMO, is a studio orchestra in London that specialises in recording film music. The orchestra has existed since 1994 and is led by conductor Andy Brown. It has worked for British and American film and television companies, such as the BBC, ITV and Walt Disney Studios. In 2021 the orchestra appointed Daisy Chute as choir director of the London Metropolitan Chorus.

Music and breakthrough

The soundtracks the orchestra recorded include the Oscar-nominated films Don Juan DeMarco (1994) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), with music by Michael Kamen. The orchestra also recorded work by many other film composers, including Klaus Badelt, Danny Elfman, Elliot Goldenthal, Mark Isham, Howard Shore, Vangelis and Christopher Young. Well-known recordings are The Wings of the Dove by Ed Shearmur (1998), The Magic of Inspector Morse by Barrington Pheloung (2000), Mythodea by Vangelis (2001) and Band of Brothers by Michael Kamen (2003). Later came, among others, Stardust (2007), Still Alice (2014) and Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015), with music by Ilan Eshkeri.

Influence

A studio orchestra like this is seldom in the spotlight, but it plays a large part in how films sound. The musicians read the composer's score and record it, so that the music sounds equally rich in the film and on the soundtrack record. The LMO shows how important an orchestra behind the scenes can be in the pop and film world.

Listening