David Newman entstammt einer Musikerfamilie, u.a. ist er Sohn des berühmten Filmkomponisten Alfred Newman und Cousin von Randy Newman. Er schrieb Musik u.a. zu Filmen wie Anastasia, Matilda, The Firestones und Ice Age. Im Interview beschreibt er die Musik von Max Steiner anhand der Partitur von Casablanca.

„The other thing I find really interesting about Steiner, Warner Brothers, and the whole era is this sense of almost molto rubato. […] Most of that era of film music is designed around dialogue [...] and it’s around the narrative, and the skill with which [he takes] this score [...] and wraps everything around - it is really extraordinary.“
„[Film music during its early stage] was a wild new frontier with incredibly highly skilled people doing something that they weren’t doing in classical music, which was this way of playing that was almost as if it was improvisatory, as if you could do anything.“
„We now have a cultural aesthetic of using direct quotes of other people’s music and reinterpreting it […] and it’s really influenced the art of film music. It’s not as much as a singular phenomenon where one person is writing the music.“

In an interview, David Newman discusses the music of Max Steiner and the film music industry. As the conductor of the Casablanca score in concert, Newman explains the elements of Steiner’s music that were most influential. Newman also offers insight as to the differences in how film scores were produced in the Golden Era and as compared to now. He reflects the burden and blessing of technology and the how increasing use of a click track limits composers. Additionally, Newman talks of his family’s history in the film industry and his own experiences as a professional. Newman also considers why film music is seen by some as an inferior form of music to classical.

Die Fragen stellte Sandra Tomek.