ARTICLES

Hitchcock! A Symphonic Night at the Movies.

Posted by: anthony – Oct 18, 2009

How good it is to see and hear a symphony in a symphony hall in Richmond, VA. Carpenter Theater at Richmond CenterStage has been impressively restored and has returned as the premium place to see the Richmond Symphony. Following an opening weekend performance of Carmina Burana, the symphony welcomed John Goberman creator of Live from the Lincoln Center and his series A Symphonic Night at the Movies: Hitchcock! to Richmond, Saturday October 11, 2009. He introduced each set of excerpts from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950's body of work with great knowledge and good humor. Goberman's focus on the composers offered new information that I'd not read in my own studies, which included taking Mike Jones’ VCU Art History Hitchcock class twice. Good witted, thoroughly researched and personal Mr. Goberman's Hitchcock picks were surprising, he set up the justification to his choices by comparing the three primary composers as an evolution from being good, great, and then very great. Taking the music out of the hands of a sole composer associated with Hitchcock’s most iconic work; in many cases the music brand of Hitch is associated with Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho score. It was awesome to watch two separate car chases scored by two different composers in this manner of comparison. We also saw Hitchcock's trademark alcoholic comedy played out with different musical cues in separate films to different effect but visual and thematic consistency.

The audience was made of families, some young people, middle aged couples, but most were made of our Richmond region senior class. The symphony patrons now have a classic venue to see symphonic and orchestral work. Those supporters are made up of part of the diverse demographics that represent our city, perhaps not as financially diverse in all performances but the symphony offers some free programs during their season so that there is the opportunity to take it in. Everyone that night thoroughly enjoyed the chance to hear how a score sounds when recorded live on a soundstage, before becoming a canned track that is mixed under everything else. For this showcase the films were presented with the dialog and sound effects played while the scenes where projected over the musicians who filled the room with live sound.

The opening to all the films with the production company’s logo and production credits introduces the overture for the score over the title sequences. In this you could hear what score elements coincided with the title card and the director credit then leading into the transition to the first scene. In many ways this moves beyond entertainment to become a master class on film scoring.

These are the main thoughts I walked away from each section:

To Catch a Thief (1955 Paramount Pictures)- Lyn Murray, Composer
Cary Grant moving like a cat, no big scenes with Grace Kelly lame. Funny, classy, up-tempo music that plays as French countryside is shown from helicopter shots. We get thru the comedy/action as Cary Grant slips a fast one by the police. We have exotic romantic music with flourishes around specific action .

Strangers on a Train (1951 Warner Bros.)- Dmitri Tiomkin, Composer
The crowd reaction to old guy was classic Hitchcock control over the audience, when a rubber-faced Carney crawls under an out of control carousel the music was creepy, dramatic, suspenseful and again based on the reveals, punctuated the visuals. The scenes of cross cutting between the two strangers in their arrival and then later in a montage each man has a time based task that holds the tension as we cut back and forth with music that includes a theme for each. The score plays off the manic visuals.

Hitchcock: by Himself (1959)- Gounod, Composer
A teaser for NxNW with home movies of Hitchcock and family, very sweet and with the famous television theme music really connects his personality and creates the presence of the filmmaker to contextualize our evening.

Dial M for Murder (1954 Warner Bros.)- Dmitri Tiomkin, Composer
Again in suspense moments the crowd's audible reaction supports Hitchcock’s mastery of simple elements and props to push our minds around. The score for the setup to the break in and the attempted murder scene correlates with suspense. Grace Kelly’s big scene in peril in fabulous sleepwear crossed with her teary eyed discover of her husbands involvement with the wrap out music.

North by Northwest (1959 MGM)- Bernard Herrmann, Composer
One of my favorite scores by BH, starting strong over the Saul Bass credits and reappearing over the drinking and driving scene the fantastic fandango with its staccato hits and big sound. Always a joy to see the full Mt Rushmore climax but with the support of the live musicians it was as I’ve never seen and heard before.

That Saturday night with a show at the National, the Folk Festival on the riverfront, Much Ado About Nothing just down the hall, and all manner of assorted programs and events around the city it is testament that our cultural offerings are strong and vibrant and we need a multifaceted approach to programming and support so that everyone of all ages can find what they will go out of their home or apartment for and artists can find compensation for their efforts to entertain and enlighten.

This and last seasons video game music program seem to be cashing in on some audience that is not generally targeted by the symphony but the reality is modern composers score and work for the patrons of video games and movies it is only logical that sort of mix media experience is showcased and the musicians enjoy playing the music. This season at the symphony looks promising and I encourage everyone to take in the live music it can never be matched canned.

It has been hard to read the vitriol pushed at CenterStage for me because my brother Ben is a symphony musician, a VCU alumni pursuing his D.M.A. at North Texas he has composed and performed classical music for my films. The life of a symphonic musician is a hard one not as well covered or documented as the struggling singer songwriter, underground punk rocker, MC, or DJ that make up pop music myth/legend or even the eccentric composer. It is its own disciplined life of practice, audition, practice, teach, audition, rehearse, perform, and repeat. Landing a chair on stage is an earned spot and no small feat. Looking at the members of our Richmond Symphony (founded 1957) we have a modest sized ensemble of all ages, each having mastery of their instrument and I am glad they have their stage back. It has been a while since I have heard such a large group of musicians perform and it was great to hear them tune and warm up preparing for the performance, a favorite memory seeing the New Orleans Symphony as a child.

Genworth Financial and Yellowbook sponsored the concert. The Richmond Symphony is partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the arts. Thanks to Prabir Mehta for making me aware of this performance.

www.richmondsymphony.com

Words By Todd Raviotta