The Tucson Symphony Orchestra took us to the cineplex on Thursday.The only thing missing throughout the two-hour βAt the Movies β Symphony Style β concert was the popcorn.You didnβt need to actually see the movies as they played. Just close your eyes and they came to life through the melodies of such famous soundtrack moments as Bernard Herrmannβs βPsycho: A String Suite.β As the violins let out that startling, high-pitched scream, you could see Norman Bates stabbing Marion Crane as she stood naked behind the shower curtain. Audiences in other countries hearing this might not connect the dots to the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock horror movie βPsycho,β but Thursdayβs audience did. Conductor George Hanson put the emphasis on the crisp phrasing so that when the violins shrieked a second time late into the 14-minute piece, dozens of the 1,050 audience members flinched and shrank in their seats. A few dozen more let out quiet gasps, probably the same reaction they had the first time they saw Anthony Perkins raise that knife in the steamy bathroom scene and stab Janet Leigh over and over again.βAt the Moviesβ was a two-hour romp through some of Hollywoodβs most memorable soundtracks, most of them written long before Thomas Edison or Louis Lumiere invented movie cameras in the late 1800s. There was Richard Wagnerβs dramatic 1856 βRide of the Valkyriesβ used in the the dark, foreboding 1979 film βApocalypse Now,β and the lighthearted, romantic Intermezzo and Barcarolle from Offenbachβs opera βThe Tales of Hoffmanβ used as a central theme in James Cameronβs record-setting box-office smash βTitanic.β The concert also included the Intermezzo from Pietro Mascagniβs opera βCavalleria Rusticanaβ (βGodfather IIIβ) and Barberβs Adagio for Strings, a haunting piece made even more so in the Oliver Stone war flick βPlatoon.βGuest violinist Lara St. John took us to Hollywoodβs swashbuckling years with Korngoldβs 1945 Violin Concerto in D major. The piece was actually not used in a film, but borrows themes from Korngoldβs other film scores, including βThe Prince and the Pauper.βSt. John, dressed in a floor-length silver gown, started out a bit off-kilter. She couldnβt quite nail the lyricism of the first movement and her sound was stilted and sometimes hollow. A few times you couldnβt hear her above the orchestra. In the shimmering, romantic second movement, though, St. Johnβs sound was warmer with richer tones. It was as if she had found her footing and her play was charismatic and lush.St. John, an ardent movie buff, treated the audience to an encore, John Williamsβ achingly beautiful main theme from βSchindlerβs List.β Any missteps early on were entirely forgotten as she made her violin sing so tenderly you almost held your breath. The performance earned St. John an enthusiastic standing ovation and shouts of bravo, as well as a long line of folks at intermission seeking autographs. The TSO earned a second round of bravos for a brilliantly energetic performance of Paul Dukasβs colorful 1897 masterpiece βThe Sorcererβs Apprentice.β Hansonβs reading of the piece, a cornerstone of Disneyβs βFantasiaβ and βFantasia 2000,β was to play it with all the enthusiasm and nuance Mickey Mouse mustered, sans the dancing broomsticks.β«
TSO goes to the movies
- By Cathalena E. Burch Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
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