Classical Hidden Gems from Movies & TV Shows

Classical songs are incorporated into movies and TV shows to add an extra dose of dramatic flair. Even when the first couple notes are played of a classical theme, you recognize it, but can you name that tune? Here is a collection of some hidden gems, and check out all the classical music we have to offer at Musicnotes!

· “Also Sprach Zarathustra – Introduction” from 2001: A Space Odyssey (Richard Strauss)

One of the most popular uses of classical music in a movie, “Also Sprach Zarathustra” is played at the very beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey during the prehistoric scene. This theme comes from the first section of the tone poem Sonnenaufgang (Sunrise), and there are eight other sections to this piece.

· “Clair de lune” from Ocean’s Eleven (Claude Debussy)

Another classic piece that is used in many movies and shows, “Clair de lune” is used in an iconic scene of Ocean’s Eleven. The heist of the popular Las Vegas casinos is complete, and this song is played as Danny is arrested, and the others involved reflect on what just happened in front of the Fountains of Bellagio.

· “Funeral March of a Marionette” from Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Charles Gounod)

“Funeral March of a Marionette” is the main theme from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, a classic thriller series from the 1950s/60s. Hitchcock drew a profile of himself, and he walks into this drawing during the opening credits of the show. This piece was originally written for piano in 1872, but it was later orchestrated in 1879.

· “An Die Musik” from Moonrise Kingdom (Franz Schubert)

This song is part of the unique soundtrack of the coming-of-age Wes Anderson movie Moonrise Kingdom. Other classical pieces are incorporated to add to the quirky mood of the movie, including Benjamin Britten’s “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.” The movie is about an orphan boy that escapes a scout camp to be with his love interest. The plot takes many twists and turns with an interesting cast of characters.

· “Piano Concerto No. 5 in Eb Major (Emperor)” from Dead Poets Society (Ludwig van Beethoven)

Dead Poets Society is about a think-outside-of-the-box teacher that encourages his students to become their own individuals no matter what. Neil has a strict father, and he wants to perform in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but he knows his father wouldn’t approve. He goes to Mr. Keating for advice, and Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5” is played in the background.

· “When I Am Laid in Earth” from The Batman (Henry Purcell)

Also known as “Dido’s Lament,” this dark Baroque classic is featured in The Batman. The Gotham City mayor is killed by the Riddler, and this song is performed at his funeral. Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas was his only opera and his only all-sung dramatic work.

· “Arabesque No. 1” from Spider-Man: Far from Home (Claude Debussy)

Spider-Man: Far from Home features Claude Debussy’s “Arabesque No. 1” briefly when Peter Parker and his classmates arrive at a hotel in Prague. This song is played on the piano as they enter this fancier hotel. One of Debussy’s more popular pieces, this is one of his earlier works, and it moves through a variety of modes and keys.

· “Che Gelida Manina” from James Bond 007: No Time to Die (Giacomo Puccini)

“Che Gelida Manina” from La Boheme plays in the background of a beginning scene of No Time to Die. Madeleine Swann asks James Bond to visit the grave of her ex-lover Vesper Lynd. Bond ends their relationship since he thinks that she betrayed him. The original song in La Boheme is performed when Rodolfo and Mimi first meet. Rodolfo tells her he is a poet, and he wants to know more about her life.

· “In the Hall of the Mountain King (Hair Up)” from Trolls (Edvard Grieg)

“Hair Up” from the movie Trolls features “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Grieg. This is played when Trollstice time begins. Chef captures the trolls, and this song is also played at the end credits. The original song by Grieg comes from the play Peer Gynt, and it is about a troll king that Peer Gynt invents in a fantasy.

· “Casta Diva” from Mad Men (Vincenzo Bellini)

“Casta Diva” is featured in an episode of the TV show Mad Men. Don Draper goes out to dinner with Sylvia, and he becomes flirtatious with her. The music eventually builds, and the couple winds up at her apartment. The original song comes from the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, and it is one of the most well-known arias from this opera.

· “Pavane” from Sex and the City (Gabriel Fauré)

The song featured in the TV show Sex in the City was arranged by Regina Carter, but “Pavane” is based on the piece of the same name by Gabriel Fauré. In this episode, Charlotte experiences a miscarriage, and after grieving, she decides to get out of the house to be with her supportive friends. Fauré described this piece as “elegant, assuredly, but not particularly important,” but the memorable theme adds dramatic effect to scenes such as this.

· “Nessun dorma (None Shall Sleep)” from Sing (Giacomo Puccini)

This well-known classical piece, originally from the opera Turandot, has been used in numerous movies and TV shows. In the movie Sing, koala Buster Moon owns a struggling theater which becomes flooded after a squid tank shatters. “Nessun dorma” plays while Buster moves on to a new job washing cars.

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