Great article which lists several classical music pieces that have been so over-used as film soundtrack that they are now cliches. Beethoven Symphonies, Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”, Orff’s “Carmina Burana” and Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” are all mentioned.
This was interesting to me…
The recent trailer for David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (see the video above) features Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Aquarium” from “The Carnival of Animals.” This eerie, impressionistic 1886 composition was most famously used in Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven.” It also serves as the unofficial anthem of the Cannes Film Festival, where fans can hear it played ad nauseum on the red carpet.
The article’s author, David Ng, closes saying, “Not that any of this is necessarily a bad thing. If this is how the majority of the population is exposed to classical music, so be it. Some classical exposure is definitely better than none.” I very much agree.
Classical Music as Film Soundtrack 