Film-music offerings are a highly successful and relatively new way of going beyond the traditional concert model
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Shrek 2 in Concert
July 3 and 4, 7 p.m.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in Concert
July 11 and 12, 7 p.m.
Star Trek in Concert
July 16 and17, 7:30 p.m.
Field of Dreams in Concert
July 19 and 20, 7 p.m.
Where: The Orpheum, 601 Smithe St.
Tickets and info: Vancouversymphony.ca
It’s summer in just a few more days, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra plans to celebrate July with popular films accompanied by live music, and plus several outdoor events.
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Let’s start with the film-music offerings, a highly successful and relatively new way of going beyond the traditional concert model. Actually, the VSO has a long and distinguished history of interaction with film. Back in the day, for example, it recorded two George Delerue/Oliver Stone collaborations in 1986. Salvador didn’t make much of a splash, but Platoon certainly did.
And there’s always the fun of seeing film as it was shown in Hollywood’s golden age. There aren’t that many grand old movie palaces still around, but the Orpheum Theatre, which opened in 1927 just as talkies completely transformed the movie industry, adds period lustre to any film-music project.
There are four offerings of family-friendly blockbuster films accompanied by live orchestra performances of their scores. It starts with Shrek 2, scored by British-born, Guildhall School of Music-trained composer Harry Gregson-Williams, just after the Canada Day holiday. Everyone’s favourite animated ogre faces his biggest challenge — meeting his in-laws.
Next up is Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, scored by Klaus Badelt. Badelt may not be a household name like his occasional collaborator Hans Zimmer, but his score for The Curse of the Black Pearl got all sorts of recognition back in 2003. As for the story, Captain Jack Sparrow tangles with an undead pirate crew — with some scary bits.
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Then comes the rebooted film version of the science fiction television series Star Trek (2009), scored by Michael Giacchino. Giacchino is an ultimate Hollywood insider, contributing countless scores for hits including Ratatouille (2007) and Up (2009). His first Star Trek score shows just how lavish film music can be; it was reputed to use an orchestra of 107 players plus a 40-voice choir and a solo erhu thrown in for good measure. The live orchestra version the VSO will present will no doubt be a tad less extravagant, but the music still packs a wallop.
The series concludes with the 1989 baseball fable Field of Dreams (“If you build it, he will come”), scored by the late James Horner, on July 19 and 20. Though Horner excelled at all sorts of grand gesture soundtracks, his music for this film — a task originally offered to Leonard Bernstein — is a subdued effort that garnered its composer on Oscar nomination for best original score.
While the Orpheum’s July music and movies initiative is the orchestra’s big summer project, there’s still more on offer, starting out July 6 with Symphony at Sunset, a free event at Sunset Beach, with the VSO’s Music Director Otto Tausk conducting.
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The VSO’s long running Symphony in the Park extravaganza at Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park, July 13, is another free summer event. VSO Assistant Conductor David Bui has put together a sort of musical tasting menu — sorry, no 1812 Overture this summer — that runs from Mozart to Sibelius and Smetana and on through Leonard Bernstein and film greats Elmer Bernstein, John Williams, and Hans Zimmer.
This sort of eclectic mix might not fly all that well in the concert hall, but for al fresco listening on a summer evening, it will be a delightful something for everyone proposition. Two slightly cautionary notes: Symphony in the Park always draws a crowd, so get there early to stake out your listening turf. And nearby parking is at a premium, so consider transportation options. And hope for great weather.
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