by Chelsea C. Stith*
June 20, 2009, Cary, NC: It has been said that one can tell people
of culture by whether they associate the familiar melody of the William
Tell Overture with the fourteenth century crossbow-wielding rebel or
with the Lone Ranger. “Soundtracks Under the Stars,” the
latest concert in the NC Symphony’s Summerfest series, led by
Artistic Director William Henry Curry, somehow managed not only to
reconcile but also to glory in both associations. The first half of
the program consisted of classical music adapted for use in films.
While music of the second half of the program was supposedly composed
expressly as soundtracks, there were a few exceptions, most notably
Charles Gounod's “Funeral March of a Marionette,” perhaps
better known as the theme of Alfred Hitchcock’s television series.
After a brief delay due to the heat on the stage — during which,
in a conversation with the NCS’ Scott
Freck, Curry amused the audience with stories ranging from a musical
project involving
a tribute to the survivors of Katrina to his Chihuahua, Cupcake — the
concert began with the famous theme from the film 2001: A Space
Odyssey:
the still-thrilling Fanfare from Richard Strauss’ “Also
sprach Zarathustra,” Op. 30. Curry’s brisk conducting and
boundless energy gave an irresistible and often breathless momentum
to both this and the following piece, the fourth movement of Felix
Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 (“Italian”),
featured in Breaking Away. Other soundtrack excerpts included
the waltz known as “Wiener Blut,” Op. 354, by Johann Strauss
II, featured in The Great Waltz, and “Tara: A Short
Tone Poem for Orchestra” arranged
from Max Steiner’s score for Gone with the Wind. “Wiener
Blut,” a lovely, laughing serenade that stopped just short of
sentimental was exactly what Curry termed it: “champagne music.” The
waltz flirted with the listener with a sly sense of humor. “Tara,” on
the other hand, nostalgic and filled with bittersweet longing, was
performed with a hint of raw, underlying emotion.
The themes from animated films and television shows, from Fantasia to The
Simpsons, that dominated the second half of the performance
ushered in a lighter atmosphere. Maestro Curry announced the “Dance
of the Hours” from Amilcare Ponchielli’s La Gioconda as “ ‘Hello
Muddah, Hello Fadduh’ for Symphony Orchestra” based on
Allen Sherman’s comic spoof. He also presented an uncannily good
imitation of Elmer Fudd before launching into a hair-raising interpretation
of Richard Wagner’s “The Ride of the Valkyries” from
Die Walküre, featured in both Apocalypse Now and
Bugs Bunny cartoons. A suite of
Henry Mancini hits arranged by Calvin Custer included “Baby
Elephant Walk” from Hatari!, the Pink Panther theme,
and Academy Award winning “Days of Wine and Roses.” Mancini’s “Moon
River” began just as the stars were coming out; Dovid Friedlander’s
subdued but poignant solo violin performance could not have been more
touching. Enthusiasm reached its climax, however, with a suite of 1950s
television show themes, “When TV Was Young,” by Robert
Wendel. The tunes from Dragnet, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The
Honeymooners,
The Lone Ranger (complete with Silver’s neigh — bravo!)
and, of course, I Love Lucy, elicited shouts of laughter as
the audience recognized their favorites. The NBC tag made a clever
finishing touch
for the set.
Of course, how could anyone possibly consider a program such as this
without a substantial sampling of John Williams? The “patron
saint” of soundtrack composers has written music for a wide range
of films, from Raiders of the Lost Ark to Schindler’s List. The
theme from J.F.K. is a visionary, sweeping piece. The trumpet solo
is strongly reminiscent of Aaron Copland’s use of perfect intervals;
Paul Randall’s interpretation brought out the irrepressible optimism
of the Kennedy era. The rousing syncopation and irresistibly heroic
melodies in the “Superman March” could conceivably have
brought the concert to a satisfying close, but Curry’s solemn “May
the force be with you!” introduced the Star Wars theme, a triumph
of an encore and a perfect ending.
What made this program remarkable was the emphasis on down to earth,
funny connections and a hearty disregard for “good taste.” How
many NC Symphony faithfuls would be proud to claim that their first
exposure to Richard Wagner was Elmer Fudd’s sinister refrain
of “Kill the wabbit”? Or that the overture from Gioachino
Rossini’s William Tell involuntarily brings to mind the heroic
call “Heigh ho, Silver!”? Instead of dismissing or ignoring
these associations, Curry led the enthusiastic audience in a boisterous
celebration of a few of the not-so-classy cultural connotations of
classical music.
The next performance in the Summerfest series is Cirque de la Symphonie,
a collaboration with guest aerial acrobats, gymnasts, dancers, and
others, on June 27. For details, see our calendar.
*We are pleased to introduce Chelsea C. Stith to our readers.
She is a rising junior at Meredith College, where she is a piano
student
of Kent Lyman. She is also our first student intern, helping launch
a new partnership between the college's Department of Performing
Arts and CVNC. Stay tuned for more information about this
new program. - John W. Lambert, Executive Editor
