Above : the climactic scene in ‘The King’s Speech’ made use of Beethoven’s Symphony No 2 (2nd movement) as heard in this concert. Featured image: a powerful performance of John Williams’ Superman March was included in the first half of this concert.
From time to time we hear people say that ‘classical’ or ‘operatic’ style music is not to their liking. In reality, however, the public have been listening to these types of music at the movies for decades.
In the first Met Concert for 2019, ‘A Night At The Movies’, The Metropolitan Orchestra explored a diverse programme and illustrated well our exposure to orchestral music at the cinema.
The excerpts from original film scores exploited the expressive power of the full orchestral palette. In addition some works were programmed from well known composers in history which have been borrowed for movie soundtracks. These works also showcased all sections of TMO as they proved that ‘classical’ music continues to brilliantly accompany images, action and emotion on the big screen.
This concert’s playlist was pure entertainment with focussed and exciting playing from TMO. The orchestra met the challenges prescribed by the movie composers head-on, where each second of scoring is crucial to magnify the screen action in an exact and specific way.
There is no place for timid music making or badly wrought gestures in bringing the scores of greats such as Danny Elfmann and John Williams to life.
In the bright acoustic of the Petersham Town Hall TMO performed much familiar music from blockbusters which took us back to successful movie franchises of the last fifty years. Whether it was Superman, ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark or the chilling outporing of Strauss’ music used in 2001 : A Space Odyssey, we were instantly transported to the sets of these now classic sets of movies.
We also had the chance to revisit effective but not as well known franchise soundtracks, such as when we had the moments to explore the full theme music to the original Batman movie.
Concluding the concert with a dynamic rendition of the full Star Wars theme we once more heard the power of TMO’s extended percussion and brass sections. In the past we all probably rushed out of the theatre before hearing all of the end credit music of Star Wars or Star Trek, which we were treated to in this programme.
In all pieces it was satisfying and beneficial to hear the movie music unhindered by the visuals, to subtract some inputs and blend memories of a cinema experience, characters or emotion in our pop culture minds-eye with a refreshed music-only presentation courtesy of the ten year old TMO.
Not all works on the programme were used in franchises spanning decades, needing prequels and sequels. The tender ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ from The Mission emerged from the orchestra as an exquisitely paced performance drenched in measured atmosphere. Solo work from TMO Principal Oboe Matthew Bubb was direct and luminous here.
Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No 7’ (second movement) as heard in the more recent single film The King’s Speech was a nice inclusion from TMO’s repertoire. The chance in this context to re-listen to this music with TMO adding the dimension of it accompanying a nervous monarch working up to giving an important speech gave our music event fresh poignancy.
The above was testimony to the flexibility of function in all good music and made for a special crossover performance. The careful building of climaxes throughout as Beethoven desired was highlighted with even more power and extramusical filmic themes than during a regular TMO performance of this symphony.
My silent prayers whilst walking to the venue for this concert were answered. Barber’s ‘Adagio for Strings’ as introduced to many via the heartbreaking scene in the movie Platoon was included. Its steady tear-jerking trajectory as heard on this occasion would be just as staggering concert stage fare as being immortalised in a movie soundtrack recording.
The entire memorable concert was superbly narrated by chief conductor Sarah Grace Williams. Her candid tidbits of background to the use of orchestral music in movies were always colourful and charmingly delivered.
These introductions would make fine CD liner notes for a recording of the versatile orchestra’s ‘A Night At the Movies’. Perhaps sequels to such a recording could be possible in the future and the enthusiastic audience at this event may well give up their popcorn money in order to crowd-fund such a project.
TMO’s Met Concert #2 takes place on May 11 at the ABC Centre. It features Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No 3 with soloist Clemens Leske.