Maurizio Malagnini

International award-winning composer Maurizio Malagnini (The Paradise, Call The Midwife) burst onto the scene in 2009, bringing to television his cinematic class and stunning melodies through his scores to numerous BBC hits.

In demand because of his ability to vary his palette of sounds and styles, each time bringing the audience to the heart of the story, Maurizio’s work on The Paradise was recognized with an EMMY® Award Nomination and has been hailed as a ‘masterpiece of musical storytelling’.

Maurizio has recently composed the score for season 13 of the hugely popular BBC series Call The Midwife and the score for an animation and live action version of the ballet Coppelia which was awarded 2 IFMCA Awards from the International Film Music Critics Association, including the prestigious “Film Score of the Year” award in 2022. Further projects include the BAFTA Nominated film The C Word, a BBC TV-movie based on the book and blog by Lisa Lynch, featuring a minimalistic and subtle score mixing electronica with string orchestra and the epic full orchestral score for a 2-hour drama for ITV, Peter and Wendy, based on J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan novel. The success of these projects resulted in Maurizio winning the title of Breakthrough Composer of The Year from the International Film Music Critic Association.

Italian-born Maurizio’s first musical love was Italian Opera, especially the lyrical melodies of Rossini and Puccini. During his ten years of academic studies in Italian conservatoire, he came into contact with the music of the greatest Italian film composers, in particular Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota. Upon completion of his degree in symphonic composition at the Conservatory in Italy, Maurizio headed to the UK to attend the Royal College of Music in 2006, where he graduated with a Masters Distinction in Composition for Screen.

In 2009, Maurizio was selected by BBC Worldwide to score the new animation show Muddle Earth. His adventurous, epic music was recorded by the 95-piece BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and contributed to the success of the 26-episode BAFTA-nominated series. The creativity in his composition impressed orchestra manager Richard Wigley, who commissioned Maurizio to compose the Symphonic Suite Running In The Clouds, broadcast nationwide on BBC Radio 3. The Suite was premiered in January 2012 by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra to a standing ovation, inspiring the Arts correspondent Adrian Mullen to write: “Running In The Clouds received an amazing reaction from concertgoers. The composition painted a vivid musical landscape, every bit as evocative as a Ralph Vaughan Williams Symphony”.

Maurizio’s next BBC series was The Body Farm, a 6-episode spin-off from Waking The Dead. For this he created an energetic, hybrid score showcasing an edgier contemporary sound, blending strings with electronics.

In 2012, Maurizio was invited by producer Simon Lewis to score The Paradise, a TV series based on the French novel The Ladies’ Paradise by Émile Zola. The Paradise allowed Maurizio to turn to his first love, blending his operatic influences – this time from French Opera Comique – into his score. Maurizio’s music became the pulsating heart of the characters, a blanket of warmth around the storytelling and one of the pleasures of the series. The Paradise, which was broadcast in 132 territories, earned Maurizio’s creative talent international recognition, including his first EMMY® Award Nomination in 2015 and three Music+Sound Awards. The soundtrack album of The Paradise was released worldwide by Silva Screen Records and it has been acclaimed by critics, receiving 5 star reviews.

Continuing his relationship with the BBC, Maurizio was asked to compose the soundtrack for the period drama, Call The Midwife (Neal Street) from the fourth series onwards. His sensitive approach to the score breathed new life and colour into the show, and as a result earned him his fourth Music+Sound Award.