London Symphony Orchestra

In March 1935 the musicians of the LSO gathered at London's old Scala Theatre in Tottenham Street to perform the music for the new film Things to Come and, following 14 full orchestral sessions, started a veritable revolution in film production history. Until that time, recorded film music had consisted essentially of work by small bands and groups performing theme songs and pieces of short background music. But with the commissioning of Sir Arthur Bliss to compose a score performed by a full symphony orchestra for Alexander Korda's adaptation of H G Wells's famous novel, the face of film music was changed forever - not only in Britain but also around the world. For the first time, music for the cinema, previously regarded as a lowly art form, captured the attention of classical music scholars and enthusiasts, music critics and the film and music public. The LSO had begun its long historic journey as the premier film orchestra. After the breakthrough with Things to Come, the LSO's illustrious film music career continued with feature films and numerous documentaries for the Crown Film Unit and the Ministry of Information - this was the golden era when British documentary film-making led the world. Most famously, it was the Orchestra's performance of John Williams's scores for Star Wars (1977) and its sequels that attracted a new group of admirers and strengthened the period of film music activity for the Orchestra, which continues unabated to this day. Those triumphant notes played at the Scala Theatre in 1935 did indeed herald magnificent Things to Come.