38: Scoreheads Presents Stephen Schwartz & John Powell on the music of 'Wicked'

We're Gonna Need A Bigger Pod

Saturday, 4 January 2025 - 39 minutes

As 'Wicked' fever continues to thrive, for this latest episode we’re taking a walk back to an illuminating interview that Jon & Sean conducted with the entirely brilliant Composer John Powell, who returns to this very Podcast following on from his chat about ‘Migration’ earlier last year.

Joining him, an incredible treat in the form of iconic songwriter and lyricist for songs of the stage and screen, the masterful Mr Stephen Schwartz and both discussing the music of the feverishly popular and hugely successful film adaptation of ‘Wicked'.

The interview, originally broadcast back in November on Express FM in line with the film's theatrical release, was, we are very happy to say, well received and now, for the first time and to celebrate the home release of the film this weekend, you can hear it completely uncut, in it’s full form, here on the ‘Scoreheads’ Podcast.

Stephen Schwartz, is a multi award winning titan of the musical stage and screen in his role as a famed musical theatre and musical film Composer & Lyricist, who has written such hit musicals as ‘Godspell’, ‘Pippin’, and of course, ‘Wicked’. 

He has also contributed lyrics for a number of successful films, including ‘Pocahontas’, ‘The Hunchback Of Notre Dame’, ‘The Prince Of Egypt’, and ‘Enchanted’ and recently adapted his celebrated work on ‘Wicked’ for the silver screen, with our next guest.

Our second guest, John Powell, is a returning guest and has worked with Stephen on both the score for ‘Wicked’ and in the late nineties, as part of Hans Zimmer's team on the soundtrack to Dreamworks first huge animated theatrical release ‘The Prince Of Egypt’.

Since then of course and in-between both ‘The Prince Of Egypt’ and ‘Wicked’ he has composed music for some huge films, both animated and live action, including creating sensational music for ‘Antz’, ‘Chicken Run’ and ‘Shrek’ (with Harry Gregson-Williams), ‘Face / Off’, the 'Jason Bourne' films, ‘Robots’, ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’, ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’, the ‘Ice Age’ movies, ‘Happy Feet 1 & 2’, the ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ films, ‘Star Wars: A Solo Story’ and many, many more.

They join Jon & Sean, on this latest episode of 'Scoreheads'.

Written, Presented & Recorded By: Jon Brown & Sean Wilson
Interview: Sean Wilson & Jon Brown
Edited & Mixed By: Jon Brown
Executive Producers: Jon Brown, Sean Wilson & Paul Marsh
Logo Design: Mason Jordan
Cover Art: Jon Brown, Stephen Schwartz, John Powell, Universal Pictures, Republic Records, Backlot Music
Distributed By: MMP

Special Thanks: Stephen Schwartz, John Powell, Sean Wilson, Nikki Walsh, Qin Yu, Paul Marsh, Backlot Music, Republic Records, Universal Pictures, EPK, Vue Cinemas and Miles, Ian, Harrison, Darren and all at Express FM Studios.

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