Film Score Friday 7/6/01

As we tried to warn people, our entire site was down for most of yesterday while our hosting company relocated the physical server. Nobody seems to have freaked out, but if you were wondering why you couldn't find us yesterday, now you know. Thanks for understanding. (And can you remember life before the Internet?)

Apparently it's still up in the air what the theme to Star Trek: Enterprise, the fifth Star Trek TV show premiering this fall, will be. There are reports that Jerry Goldsmith said at his recent London concert that he would soon go back to Los Angeles to write the new Trek theme, or he might have just said *a* new theme for something, but also reports that the producers might use a SONG this time. ("Beyond Antares"? "The Moon's a Window to Heaven"?) Dennis McCarthy will return to provide regular underscoring.

Toho is issuing a series of complete soundtrack CDs to the films of Akira Kurosawa exclusively on their website. So far the information is in Japanese only, but English data should be added in the near future. See http://www.toho.co.jp/music/kurosawa/index.htm.

I had three lengthy letters about A.I. -- a very hot topic recently. So I had a brainstorm and posted them directly on our message board. Someone has already followed up with an animated smiley face barfing...

http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/Forum1/HTML/002344.html

Please read them on the board and feel free to post your own comments.

I will interject my own opinions as follows: I liked the movie a lot. It is the first genuine, legitimate science fiction movie in a long time. It has serious, human, probing issues. The score is great, and that kid is the best child actor of all time. Like many of Kubrick's movies it is a series of tableaux rather than a traditional three-act narrative and like many of Spielberg's recent movies it is emotionally too direct at the end. But I am amazed at some of the strong negative reactions. I think it is appalling that when "sci-fi" like Event Horizon comes out, which clearly stinks, people make fun of it or ignore it -- or even defend it -- and then move on. But when an honest to goodness science fiction movie comes out some people bash it like it is the worst sham ever. That I find most distressing. In thirty years people will still watch A.I. just like they will still watch Fight Club and still watch Eyes Wide Shut -- all movies which received mixed if not negative reviews upon release. They will not watch pop hits like Independence Day. For example, today, what is the western best remembered from 1969, True Grit or The Wild Bunch? (Hint: not True Grit.) Which was the big hit at the time? (Hint: Not The Wild Bunch.) Which original Star Wars film at the time of release was greeted with the most (relatively speaking) negative reaction? The Empire Strikes Back. And which one today is considered the most resonant and lasting?

By and large the movies that were popular at the time tapped into something about that momentary culture and time period -- and/or had some technological marvel -- and were satisfying and became hits. The movies that last are the ones that address -- seriously -- timeless matters of the human condition. (Of course, the ones that do both become the true landmarks, like The Godfather and Jaws.)

Will mankind ever learn?!? Will critics?

Roman Deppe, as usual, saw a big movie ahead of time in Germany and has sent in his report. I don't have room for it here so I put it on the message board:

http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/Forum1/HTML/002345.html

The Society of Composers and Lyricists is presenting a Composer-to-Composer Seminar with David Raksin on Thursday, July 12, at 7:30PM at DGA Theatre #2, 7920 Sunset Boulevard. It is FREE to members of the SCL, otherwise $10 - Students w/IDs; $25 - General Admission.

FOR RESERVATIONS, please call the SCL at (310) 281-2812, ext 2.

A couple more reactions to the Maestro's recent concert:

From: BATMAN197778@aol.com

I also had the pleasure of seeing Jerry for the first time on Thursday night at the Royal Albert Hall in London. My first impressions were not great. Throughout the first half of the performance Jerry didn't say a word and I seemed to be sat around what appeared to be "Trekkie" fanatics rather than Jerry fans. However the performances were amazing! All credit to the LSO and Jerry. Planet of the Apes was a particular joy. During the second half Jerry finally addressed the audience and went into reasonable detail to explain his choice of music for the evening. For example, he mentioned that during a concert in Japan a couple of years ago, they were crying out for him to play music from Supergirl as the main theme was being used for a TV show over there at the time. He obiliged and found that playing these non-blockbusters for a change was a lot of fun. He also mentioned that the performance of Rudy was to be used in his up and coming concert CD. Can't wait!

From: Maurizio Caschetto <lordsidious@libero.it>

A week ago, I went to London from Italy to see (and hear) Jerry Goldsmith in concert with the magical London Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. I went with a bunch of friends, taking the occasion to visit also the beautiful city of London. It was my first time in London and my first time attending a Jerry Goldsmith concert also, so I was pretty excited.

The concert took place on June, Thursday 27th at 7.30pm. The programme was this:

. End Titles from STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
. Suite from THE BLUE MAX (Main Title, The Bridge, The Attack, Finale)
. Music from PLANET OF THE APES (The Search Continues, The Clothes Snatchers, The Hunt)
.Theme from THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY

Interval

. Overture from SUPERGIRL
. Medley of Television Themes (Man from UNCLE, Dr Kildare, Room 222, Star Trek Voyager, The Waltons, Barnaby Jones)
. Suite from RUDY (Main Title, Back on the Field, Tryouts, To Notre Dame, Final Game)

At 7.30pm, the leader of the LSO entered the stage and the orchestra tuned. A few moments after, the Man himself made his entrance and walked until the podium, washed by a huge applause from the audience. He saluted the room and the orchestra and then started immediately with the first piece, the end titles from FIRST CONTACT. LSO's performance was perfect and Goldsmith's conducting very precise, particularly in the "contact" theme transition.

The second piece was the one I was mostly excited about to hear live: the suite from THE BLUE MAX. Goldsmith has put together a very great suite, I think, and LSO's answer to the Maestro's baton was truly amazing. The stand-out moment was surely the "Retreat" cue (cited as "The Attack" on the programme), which is one of Goldsmith's best cues of his all career. Even the wind machine (a strange instrument who reproduce the sound of wind) was used properly during "The Bridge".

Then, it came the moment of THE PLANET OF THE APES suite, which was again a stand-out moment of this concert. Particularly exciting was the performance of "The Hunt", another Goldsmith's unquestionable masterpiece. All the original orchestration was respected, except the ram's horn part, which was substituted by the traditional french horn and trumpet. The percussion section was very hard at work in this piece, showcasing brasilian cuika, mixed bowls, gongs and a lot of funny instruments.

Following APES, there was the lively, chugging main theme for THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, making a right, lighter counterpart to APES' savage sonorities. Again, London Symphony's playing was superb.

After the intermission, Goldsmith returned on stage, taking some moments for speaking to the audience. He said that the concert's programme was a little bit different from the typical programmes he usually plays through the world regularly ("The typical programme from Non-Blockbuster Movies themes!" he said). This time he preferred to make longer suites from certain scores, giving to the audience a fuller reading of some works he's particularly fond of. He told that RUDY was one of his best experience and that he's very fond of that score "for a movie no one ever seen" and then joked with the audience saying "Anyone ever seen 'Rudy' here?". He also remembered the BLUE MAX experience ("my first big, epic movie" he said), which was his first score to be recorded in London with the National Philharmonic. He told also a funny story about SUPERGIRL: when he went to Japan last year for a concert, when he asked what the audience wanted to hear they answered "Supergirl!!" and Jerry replied "Oh, well... why 'Supergirl'?!?", letting understand the audience that maybe even he had forgotten that movie! But Supergirl was popular in Japan mainly because it was used as a theme for a very succesful tv show, so he went back to that score and presented it in London on this night. And then the LSO played SUPERGIRL in full glory, a really terrific reading.

The "Medley of TV Themes" was very well-performed; LSO's principal trumpeteer gave a particulary fond reading of "The Waltons" and he was praised by Goldsmith at the end.

Then came the moment of the suite from RUDY, another highlight of this beautiful evening. Here, Goldmsith's fondness in conducting this piece was evident and the LSO's performance was another formidable one, particularly in the main title cue and in 'The Final Game'.

This was the end, with the audience applauding and cheering. He returned on stage asking what we want to hear again. A number of titles were shouted but the Maestro asked "Star Trek or Supergirl?" and another moment of shouting followed. So he said "Raise your hands! Supergirl?" and some hands raised but it was evident that the majority of us wanted to hear again the STAR TREK march, so he said "Trekkies win!" and he played again Star Trek. But even after the Star Trek encore, he was rousingly recalled on stage. He said "I was asking you some indulgence but maybe there are a lot of Supergirl fans here!" and then he played again the Supergirl overture. And that was the real end, after a lot of rousing applause.

Being my first time attending a Goldsmith concert, I have to say that I'm truly satisfied. Ok, I wanted to hear CAPRICORN ONE, ALIEN, TOTAL RECALL, THE WIND AND THE LION, STAR TREK: TMP also... but I liked the more organic structure that Goldsmith gave to the programme, instead of a hodge-podge of various unrelated scores he used to play usually. APES, BLUE MAX and RUDY were really great performed live in suite-like fashion. But maybe the most exhilarating thing, for me, was hearing the LSO live. They're truly a GREAT orchestra! They played with such a reverence, respect and gusto that was almost incredible. And their fun and joy in playing film music was visible. It's truly heartwarming for a score fan hear a film music concert played in such a manner. Let's hope Goldsmith (and John Williams) will continue the partnership with this terrific orchestra through the next years, both in concert and recordings.

Got this press release from our friends at Public Broadcasting. The Williams concert was last night...sorry, although I tried to put a notice on yesterday's FSD. Watch your local PBS station as they may rerun it over the course of the week:

Join Keith Lockhart, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and a stellar line-up of special guests from stage and screen, for the 2001 season of EVENING AT POPS. The celebration begins Thursday, July 5th with five new programs and two encores of popular past broadcasts. EVENING AT POPS is taped live in Boston's Symphony Hall -- now celebrating its 100th anniversary as one of the world's greatest concert halls -- and broadcast on PBS.

Laureate conductor John Williams returns for the season premiere to lead the Boston Pops Orchestra in a celebration of film music and a salute to Hollywood composer Harry Warren and his frequent on-screen collaborator, Busby Berkeley. The multi-talented Harry Connick, Jr. joins Williams and the orchestra to perform a selection of jazz standards composed by Warren and others. On July 12th, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra welcome Tony Award-winning performer Martin Short for an evening of music, wit, and Broadway favorites. The program features selections from Applause and Stop the World, I Want to Get Off, as well as cast members from the current Broadway revival of The Music Man -- Craig Bierko (the sexiest Broadway star in People magazine's "The Sexiest Man Alive 2000" issue) and two-time Tony Award-nominee Rebecca Luker -- in a salute to the show's composer, Meredith Willson.

Boston-born jazz pianist Chick Corea discusses the musical life of Boston and leads a tribute to native sons Jimmy McHugh and Leonard Bernstein, ably assisted by singing sensation Jane Monheit and jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard on July 26th. It's Edgar's turn on August 2nd, featuring bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer for a night of Verdi, bluegrass, and a little something in between. Renowned banjo player Bela Fleck and mandolinist Mike Marshall join Meyer to perform selections from their "classical-bluegrass fusion" collaborations. And to complete the season, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra host Paul Winter and the multi-national Earth Band for a celebration of the cultures and creatures of the earth on August 23rd.

Log on to http://www.pbs.org/pops to learn more about the orchestra, read biographies of the guest artists, view performance photos from EVENING AT POPS tapings, and more!

Detailed program descriptions and performance photography will be delivered shortly. In the interim, publicity stills, jpeg images, and artist information are available by contacting any of the personnel listed below.

Broadcast Schedule:

July 5
John Williams and Harry Connick, Jr.
A tribute to great film music, including Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey

July 12
Martin Short, Craig Bierko, and Rebecca Luker
Broadway favorites and Martin Short as you've never seen him

July 26
Born in Boston with Chick Corea, Terence Blanchard, and Jane Monheit
Appreciating some of Boston's musical native sons -- Chick Corea, Jimmy McHugh, and Leonard Bernstein

August 2
Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, and Mike Marshall
Classical-bluegrass fusion

August 9
(Encore) The Cast of Sesame Street
A visit from the Muppets to perform tunes from the Sesame Street book of favorites

August 16
(Encore) John Williams with Frank McCourt, Yo-Yo Ma, and Patti LuPone
Music from Angela's Ashes

August 23
Paul Winter and the Earth Band
A celebration of the creatures and cultures of the earth

The www.bernardherrmann.org site has been updated, adding the entire 150-minute radio documentary Bernard Herrmann: A Celebration of His Life and Music. They also have available a review of our Beneath the 12 Mile Reef CD at http://www.bernardherrmann.org/articles/reviews/beneaththe12milereef001

Also, here's some concert news:

From: "Guenther Koegebehn" <guenther@koegebehn.com>

Talking Herrmann: Concert in Austin

"Music by Film Composers"
Monday, July 16
7:30 p.m.
First Unitarian Church
4700 Grover Avenue
Austin, Texas, USA

Megan Meisenbach, flute
Mary Schani, clarinet
Richard Kilmer, violin
Joanna Winters, violin
Bruce Williams, viola
Anthony Stogner, cello
Felicity Coltman, piano
Kay Sparks, piano

Bernard Herrmann: Souvenirs de Voyage
Robert Russell Bennett: Improvisation on Exotic Scales
Roger Trefousse: Fantasie
Franz Waxman: Four Scenes of Childhood
Jerome Moross: Sonata for Piano Duet and String Quartet

More information: http://www.austinchambermusic.org/html/fp8.htm

Stephen Aechternacht, producer of KMFA's "Film Score Focus," will host this wonderful evening of rarely played chamber music by composers who wrote the music for such legendary movies as The Big Country, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Citizen Kane, Pyscho, Peyton Place, and The Spirit of St. Louis. Meet the composer of music for the PBS film Jackson Pollock. And be ready for some surprises!

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