REVIEW: There's no need for a big screen for the scores of John Williams and Hans Zimmer to awaken emotions
One would think just listening to a film's score without seeing the corresponding scenes on a screen is equivalent to just half the experience. Conductor Gerard Salonga and the 86-member Filharmonik Orchestra proved this wrong the two nights they performed musical sorcery playing the most famous film scores of legendary, award-winning composers John Williams and Hans Zimmer.
For two sold-out performances on Jan. 14 and 15, The Theatre at Solaire turned into a repository of emotions, where familiar movie themes brought back vivid memories of favorite films. There was no need for a big screen onstage. The audience's imaginations, led on by the music, did just fine, conjuring film scenes in their minds.
All they needed to do was close their eyes and let the notes narrate the scenes.
Archaeologists, sharks, and lovable aliens
"The purpose of good film scores is to create an emotional atmosphere for movies," said Salonga as he led the orchestra through John Williams' best-known compositions.
They started strong with Raider's March from Indiana Jones. Immediately, at least for the older members of the audience, the music evoked the excitement of watching the incorrigible archaeologist narrowly escape death throughout the franchise. It may have been even better than listening to the score at the cinema because you could see how the musicians and Salonga were reacting to the music they were creating live.
Salonga, it turned out, conducts an orchestra with his whole body, not just the baton. He wriggles his fingers to signal a trill, sways his shoulders when the notes flow, and lights up his face with a grin when the music is especially jaunty. His body reacting to the music was as fascinating to watch as it was to listen to the orchestra.
Following up Indy's escapades was another John Williams-Steven Spielberg collaboration: Jaws. As soon as the cellos played the two infamous notes of the film's theme, it was as if the shark was lurking in the shadows of the theater, just waiting to bite off limbs.
The feeling of creatures hovering close came up again when Salonga led the orchestra through the Jurassic Park theme. With the soaring violas, the audience could clearly see in their minds brontosauruses striding gracefully across meadows.
Between scores, Salonga shared trivia about Williams, Zimmer, and the movies they helped make. To introduce the suite of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, he aged himself, talking about listening to the disco version of the film's score on the car radio in the 1980s. He then went on to anticlimactically conduct the orchestra version. It was a good decision. To play a disco-fied John Williams composition in front of his fans would have been funny, but might have caused a walkout.
The Flight to Neverland brought visions of Robin Williams as Peter Pan in Hook, exuberantly flying across the sky, followed by his Lost Boys. Adventures on Earth from E.T. The Extra Terrestrial was equally fun to listen to, even for audience members who had to be told by their parents who E.T. is.
A highlight of the John Williams part of the show was Schindler's List's main theme, which was played by Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin soloist. Like Salonga, Saraza performed so expressively that the audience could see through Saraza the anguish of Oskar Schindler for not saving more jews during the Holocaust. It was a performance so textured you could almost touch it.
Pirates, pilots, gladiators, and Bituin Escalante
Hans Zimmer's scores came next. Salonga began this part with a striking rendition of the Top Gun anthem. Within seconds, there, in the audience's mind, was Tom Cruise's Maverick flying his fighter jet upside down with his best friend Goose egging him on.
The Interstellar suite was touching as it was soothing. Even audience members who didn't watch the film could feel, through the music, the depth of the story.
The same was true for The Dark Knight suite; as Salonga shared, the film required two composers to drive home the duality of Batman and Bruce Wayne. James Newton Howard collaborated with Zimmer on this one, and the orchestra expertly and subtly demonstrated the neat line between the two composers' styles.
Dune's Paul's Dream was, as expected, a haunting piece that turned magnificent when Bituin Escalante quietly slipped onstage to deliver the vocals of the piece. She sang no lyrics, but, to this audience member, it was the highlight of the night. You couldn't understand what she was saying because there were no words, but you wanted to believe everything she was singing about.
The audience got to take a breath during The Curse of the Black Pearl Suite from Pirates of the Caribbean. What a fun ride that was, picturing Captain Jack Sparrow drunkenly weaving on his ship across the sea.
Then Escalante was at it again, this time for the Gladiator suite. She got to soar in this piece, beginning with a strong hum, then unleashing her full power halfway through. Escalante was incandescent.
Ending the night on a light, sentimental note was The Lion King suite. The orchestra carried the audience through Simba's childhood, his heartbreak after losing Mufasa, the terror of running away from killer hyenas, the determined acceptance of his royal fate, and the circle of life going on.
For film and music buffs, sitting through nearly three hours of film scores composed by two legends, and performed by a world-class conductor and musicians, was the perfect way to spend a night.
Editor's note: PhilSTAR L!fe received a free ticket from Film Concerts PH, which brought the show to the Philippines, to watch the program.
