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For those in Ireland ....
http://ulsterorchestra.com/concerts/2013/november23/psycho-live
'Psycho Live' screening at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, on November 23rd. with the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Richard Kaufman.
Well done to the co-ordinators, especially those with the initials T. B. who have FSM connections ...
I understand there'll be another performance on 22nd. at Derry, if that's easier.
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These live accompaniments to sound films are mystifying. Last week, at the Royal Albert Hall, there were several leaflets advertising such re-"enactments" of film scores, including both of Giacchino's STAR TREK scores to be played with the movies sometime in 2014. What could possibly be the point? You're listening to the score, but the dialogue and/or sound effects are either toned down or excluded altogether?
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These live accompaniments to sound films are mystifying. Last week, at the Royal Albert Hall, there were several leaflets advertising such re-"enactments" of film scores, including both of Giacchino's STAR TREK scores to be played with the movies sometime in 2014. What could possibly be the point? You're listening to the score, but the dialogue and/or sound effects are either toned down or excluded altogether?
Well, Onlygoodmusic, it's only about the good music.
These are MUSIC concerts rather than cinematic experiences, and it's all about how the orchestra achieve certain effects in certain scenes with the composer's intentions. It's for people who want to know the art. It also has a very educational effect for, say, children, or those who don't usually consider the dramatic aspect in music. It certainly might help audiences who are't necessarily concert goers to appreciate what goes on.
And it's live, a very old tradition stretching back to the silent days.
MUSIC!
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The scores don't cover 100% of the movies, so what's it gonna be? SILENCE for the rest of the movie? Or dialogue being turned up and off throughout the movie?
This just makes no sense.
And sorry, playing music to sound films live is not a tradition going back to ANYWHERE.
And if it's about GOOD music, how are the two Giacchino scores involved?
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The scores don't cover 100% of the movies, so what's it gonna be? SILENCE for the rest of the movie? Or dialogue being turned up and off throughout the movie?
You're clearly not familiar with the concept?
Generally, a print of the film with dialogue and SFX minus music track is used. Did you think otherwise?
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DP
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Generally, a print of the film with dialogue and SFX minus music track is used. Did you think otherwise?
OK. So, questionable at best.
As much as the next film music lover, I want film music to have more "exposure". and if they rent the RAH to do it, probably there'll be enough of an audience. But I'm not sure about the message such endeavours are communicating.
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Think of it less as 'communicating film music to a concert audience' and more of 'communicating concert music to a cinema audience'.
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I'm also curious about how these live music to screen concerts work. I've never been to one before, but would love to go some day. I almost went to see Don Davis conduct the San Francisco Symphony to The Matrix last month, but hesitated too long.
So if a dialogue and SFX only track plays along with the music, how loud does it play in comparison? Does the music take precedence? Are there any of these concerts where they play only the music?
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Psycho: I wonder how the heavily-reverberated sections will sound.
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General-presentation:
I find a certain drama in watching an orchestra perform: seeing the hands move, instruments lift, fingers twiddle away at strings or keys, especially in fast sections.
Seeing a screen image with ITS drama and the orchestra playing away live would be an even more dramatic event for me.
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I went to a screening of PSYCHO in Glasgow back in 2011 where Herrmann's score was played by the strings of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (conducted by John Wilson) and I have to say that it was one of the greatest film music moments I can think of.
I love Herrmann's music anyway but to see the film with the orchestra sat in front of the screen waiting patiently to play an upcoming cue that I knew inside-out was such a thrill.
I found that the music took centre stage (as it should). Herrmann's music sounded great, and the dialogue and SFX was audible but did not interrupt the enjoyment of the music when it played.
To me, PSYCHO is a great film for this type of treatment. For example, it's great to see how the orchestra's technique varies throughout the film in cues that I had heard many, many times. I usually cite actually seeing the various sections of the strings come in during the shower scene as an example of this.
I would certainly recommend that, if you can, you get yourself along to PSYCHO Live.
I wrote a piece on my blog at the time, summarising my experience of the showing:
http://reelmusic.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/psycho-live-bernard-herrmann-at-glasgow-city-halls/
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'Just dragging this one out of the swamp in time for those who forgot it.
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Well, the second of these was a magic little concert.
The UO hit every cue perfectly, and with dramatic feel too.
I wondered how RK would conduct such a concert: one has the notion that, because the players can't see or concentrate on the screen, it'd be necessary to conduct with some unique trickery, to indicate reference points and highlight actions, but in fact he seemed to conduct in the classical way, but with absolute finesse in terms of pacing, so that mainly by rhythm and tempo he just hit the right synchronisation every time. Quite an art.
At times I watched the conducting, at others the movie, and it was a tribute to their feel and accuracy and timing that I actually forgot them occasionally. There were no crude jolts to reality.
It does make me wonder why the Ulster Orchestra aren't hired to perform more film session stuff, especially with the four great studio blocks in the Waterfront area and others bringing in new projects all the time. When the market for re-recordings of classic scores picks up again, people could do worse than hop over to NI, it's a lot nearer than Eastern Europe. RK declared it a 'great world class orchestra'. I did overhear punters afterwards say, 'The orchestra were magnificent tonight'.
The soundblend was intriguing. Live 3D orchestra versus analogue D/SFX. But it worked. I found myself wondering again how much orchestras are blamed for the faults of sound-mixing in re-recordings. Perhaps, no matter how much people claim they love close-miking, the tendency to mix everything obsessively and produce a close-up feel that suggests every player is somehow crammed into a shoebox Tardis (actually totally artifical when you think on it), is overdone. Let the orchestra breathe. Despite what's said about the 'tight, dry' Golden Age ensembles, they did that back then actually.
A great concert. Miss Leigh never slid so exquisitely into the vortex of mother fate as she did tonight.
TB ... sorry Tim, I got your text re the reception about 1/2 hour after you sent it, and I was already ex urbe. Dammit.
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