Dan Brecher
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 1999
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- Daniel
Ahoy,
Some may recall my brief thread voicing my thoughts of the two Jerry Goldsmith/London Symphony Orchestra concerts I attended last Summer at London's Barbican Centre, well, same thing here one year one, same people, new venue, The Albert Hall.
The evening began a little after six, early arrivals were invited into the auditorium for a twenty minute live chat with Mr Goldsmith. He voiced his interest in DVD, and was especially keen to push the SACD format. He mentioned an increasing dislike for DVD isolated scores, most angry about the one on Patton which was interesting. He got talking a fair bit on DVDs, commentaires came up, and he's done one or two (one certainly on Hollow Man). He's very much into DVD as a movie viewing format, he's very fond of 5.1 but has little time nor interest for extras.
Come 7:30pm everyone was ushered back in to start filling the Albert Hall, I had some super seats, could not have asked for better, and so it began. It was made clear in th chat that the evenings music would be scores of his he held most dear to his heart, scores that didn't really accompany big box offits hits.
He bagan with Star Trek: First Contact, a theme I think is one of, if not the most beautiful Trek cues he has ever written. I love this, he began by launching the LSO into the fanfare by Alexander Courage, before sweetly blending in with his First Contact theme. I'd seen him conduct the LSO doing this cue last year and it still takes my breath away.
Next came one of the truly big highlights of the evening, four epic cues forming a suite from The Blue Max, Goldsmith's first big score recorded in England. This has always been one of my fave Goldsmith scores, I absolutely love it and to hear it live was sensational. This was extremely demanding on the LSO, four really big cues totalling a good twenty minutes, a little more perhaps. They never broke a sweat.
Planet of the Apes, a suite of three cues followed. What is there to say about the Apes score? Goldsmith would later tell how sad he was not to have even been offered to score the sequel, if only for his want to have told them he didnt want to.
He ended the first part of the concert with The Great Train Robbery, a wonderful rendition of the excellent scores main theme. Fantastic end to the first half.
*INTERVAL*
And so he returned, this time taking some time out to talk. Again he praised SACD, mentioning the SACD release he recording with the LSO last year which is due out on CD this August. He began to discuss a number of the scores he had done in the first half, and most notably the ones he would be presenting during the second.
The first of these was Supergirl he had no problem he making fun of the movie, but spoke of how a concert in Japan where demand that he play the theme was so high suddenly made he remember what a fun score it was for him, so he presented it to us this evening, and it is truly great. Say what you will about the movie, the music was wonderful, and the LSO blasted out the triumphant theme across the auditorium it was a stunning epic way to begin the second half.
What game next was a huge twenty odd minute Medley of Television Themes. This whole section, which had no breaks as the orchestra moved from one theme to another, consisted of The Man from UNCLE, Dr Kildare, Room 222, Star Trek: Voyager, The Waltons and Barnaby Jones. IThis was incredibly well executed, the flow from one theme to the next was sensational, again the LSO taking it in their stride.
And so the evening drew to a close with a suite from Rudy, one of my all time fave scores, and possibly my fave Goldsmith score. This presentation, a world premiere, consisted of five cues and I nearly cried like a baby hearing this. I am very fond of classical orchestral music, and when you see such talent as the LSO before your eyes you suddnly no longer take for granted what they do. Any orchestra holds in their hands bits of wood, bits of brass and they bring them to life and I marvel every time I see any orchestra, not just the LSO, play before my very own eyes. The select cues from Rudy could not have been a better way to end this incredible concert.
Of course, the mass applause drew Mr Goldsmith back to the stage and he threw up a choice to the audience to do wither Star Trek or Supergirl again, and Trek won, although that being said, as a gift he went and did Supergirl right after!
Everyone, I am telling you, never dismiss the chance to see such talent play before your very eyes. If ever a composer you love is in town conducting, you go out of your way to see them because if you truly apreciate what they do then you;re left with memories and feelings you will never forget.
Dan (UK)
------------------
Visit: Link Removed
Latest Reviews: Dogma SE & Unbreakable
Some may recall my brief thread voicing my thoughts of the two Jerry Goldsmith/London Symphony Orchestra concerts I attended last Summer at London's Barbican Centre, well, same thing here one year one, same people, new venue, The Albert Hall.
The evening began a little after six, early arrivals were invited into the auditorium for a twenty minute live chat with Mr Goldsmith. He voiced his interest in DVD, and was especially keen to push the SACD format. He mentioned an increasing dislike for DVD isolated scores, most angry about the one on Patton which was interesting. He got talking a fair bit on DVDs, commentaires came up, and he's done one or two (one certainly on Hollow Man). He's very much into DVD as a movie viewing format, he's very fond of 5.1 but has little time nor interest for extras.
Come 7:30pm everyone was ushered back in to start filling the Albert Hall, I had some super seats, could not have asked for better, and so it began. It was made clear in th chat that the evenings music would be scores of his he held most dear to his heart, scores that didn't really accompany big box offits hits.
He bagan with Star Trek: First Contact, a theme I think is one of, if not the most beautiful Trek cues he has ever written. I love this, he began by launching the LSO into the fanfare by Alexander Courage, before sweetly blending in with his First Contact theme. I'd seen him conduct the LSO doing this cue last year and it still takes my breath away.
Next came one of the truly big highlights of the evening, four epic cues forming a suite from The Blue Max, Goldsmith's first big score recorded in England. This has always been one of my fave Goldsmith scores, I absolutely love it and to hear it live was sensational. This was extremely demanding on the LSO, four really big cues totalling a good twenty minutes, a little more perhaps. They never broke a sweat.
Planet of the Apes, a suite of three cues followed. What is there to say about the Apes score? Goldsmith would later tell how sad he was not to have even been offered to score the sequel, if only for his want to have told them he didnt want to.
He ended the first part of the concert with The Great Train Robbery, a wonderful rendition of the excellent scores main theme. Fantastic end to the first half.
*INTERVAL*
And so he returned, this time taking some time out to talk. Again he praised SACD, mentioning the SACD release he recording with the LSO last year which is due out on CD this August. He began to discuss a number of the scores he had done in the first half, and most notably the ones he would be presenting during the second.
The first of these was Supergirl he had no problem he making fun of the movie, but spoke of how a concert in Japan where demand that he play the theme was so high suddenly made he remember what a fun score it was for him, so he presented it to us this evening, and it is truly great. Say what you will about the movie, the music was wonderful, and the LSO blasted out the triumphant theme across the auditorium it was a stunning epic way to begin the second half.
What game next was a huge twenty odd minute Medley of Television Themes. This whole section, which had no breaks as the orchestra moved from one theme to another, consisted of The Man from UNCLE, Dr Kildare, Room 222, Star Trek: Voyager, The Waltons and Barnaby Jones. IThis was incredibly well executed, the flow from one theme to the next was sensational, again the LSO taking it in their stride.
And so the evening drew to a close with a suite from Rudy, one of my all time fave scores, and possibly my fave Goldsmith score. This presentation, a world premiere, consisted of five cues and I nearly cried like a baby hearing this. I am very fond of classical orchestral music, and when you see such talent as the LSO before your eyes you suddnly no longer take for granted what they do. Any orchestra holds in their hands bits of wood, bits of brass and they bring them to life and I marvel every time I see any orchestra, not just the LSO, play before my very own eyes. The select cues from Rudy could not have been a better way to end this incredible concert.
Of course, the mass applause drew Mr Goldsmith back to the stage and he threw up a choice to the audience to do wither Star Trek or Supergirl again, and Trek won, although that being said, as a gift he went and did Supergirl right after!
Everyone, I am telling you, never dismiss the chance to see such talent play before your very eyes. If ever a composer you love is in town conducting, you go out of your way to see them because if you truly apreciate what they do then you;re left with memories and feelings you will never forget.
Dan (UK)
------------------
Visit: Link Removed
Latest Reviews: Dogma SE & Unbreakable
