Audiences can hear the movies like never before as Philadelphia Orchestra embraces film scores
The Philadelphia Orchestra playing live to "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" at the Mann Center in 2017.
The focus on the silver screen has to do with the specialized art of film-scoring, but also the pursuit of much-needed ticket sales.
by David Patrick Stearns | The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s pandemic era brought two years’ worth of changes, though with a surprising constant: Along with Beethoven and Brahms, movies in concert are pervasive — in numerous ways.
Besides having An American in Paris (Feb. 17-19) and The Princess Bride (Feb. 24-26) shown in concert with live orchestral accompaniment at Verizon Hall, there’s also an ongoing commitment to Hollywood icon John Williams, who just turned 90. Williams will conduct some of his best-known film music plus his new Violin Concerto No. 2, performed by Anne-Sophie Mutter in a special April 19 gala. His orchestrations for Fiddler on the Roof, the classic Broadway score that carried over into a hit film, will be performed by the orchestra March 3, 5 and 6.
Film music without film used to be pops concert fare. The orchestra’s upcoming concentration of film presentations is something different — almost an unofficial festival that reveals the creative synergy between sound and image. “There’s nothing like the experience, so when we come to think about the choices of film music programs, we really do begin with what is going to sound fantastic,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, orchestra and Kimmel Center president and CEO.
“Most academics don’t view it as an art form, but the audiences just love it,” said composer/conductor David Newman, who has led numerous films in concert and will be on hand in Philadelphia to conduct The Princess Bride, composed by Mark Knopfler. “I don’t know how many films can work like this in a live setting, but there are a lot of them.”
The surprise is the films that are less than viable. One of Newman’s dream projects is to revive the great Alex North score to the 1960 Spartacus, but the orchestral requirements are huge and the film is well over three hours — too long for symphonic concerts. Then there’s The Wizard of Oz, which he conducted recently. “Every bar is a different tempo,” said Newman. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Box office for live-to-film orchestra concerts can be boffo, even record-setting — an attractive prospect as orchestras look to lure pandemic-weary audiences back to live concerts. When the Philadelphia Orchestra did Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the Mann Center in 2016, demand was so high ticket sales were stopped due to capacity concerns.
The Philadelphia Orchestra went on to do four Harry Potter films at the Mann between 2016 and 2019, with audiences that have ranged in number from 7,800 to 9,700 — huge for an orchestra concert.
Currently, though, sales for both An American in Paris and The Princess Bride are slow — aside from the Saturday night screenings.
Beyond the traditional film possibilities, Tarnopolsky sees the orchestra’s series going into more serious realms with selections along the lines of the Philip Glass score to the documentary film Jane. Silent films now have newly created scores by noted composers. An entirely new medium is being explored at the Curtis Institute of Music: In the spirit of the immersive touring Van Gogh exhibits that engulf spectators in floor-to-ceiling visual images, the Curtis Orchestra was filmed over three days playing Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.