ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the contemporary reception of Franz Waxman's work as a composer navigating the intersection of film music and the concert hall. It examines how advancements in recording and broadcasting technologies from the mid-twentieth century influenced Waxman's career, enabling his music to reach broader audiences through radio, recordings, and mediatized performances. The chapter highlights Waxman's innovative use of technology in film scores, such as electronic instruments and spatial sound effects, to serve narrative purposes. It also discusses his efforts to bridge the gap between film music and classical concert traditions, as seen in his recordings and conducting engagements with European radio orchestras. Waxman's dual identity as a composer and conductor is analysed in the context of shifting aesthetic values and the evolving media landscape, which challenged traditional notions of art music.
