{"id":2294,"date":"2005-07-11T19:58:34","date_gmt":"2005-07-11T19:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jwfan.com\/?p=2294"},"modified":"2012-03-11T20:00:03","modified_gmt":"2012-03-11T20:00:03","slug":"philadelphia-july-8-2005","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jwfan.com\/?p=2294","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia, July 8, 2005"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
\n<\/strong><\/span>Friday, July 8, 2005
\n<\/span><\/strong>The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by David Amado<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

‘Star Wars and Other Movie Favorites’
\n<\/span>
\nConcert Review by Tim Friel<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

With the exception of an ambulance, a plane, and a helicopter, any other minimal distractions came from the orchestra, not least from Maurice Ravel.<\/p>\n

Let me give you a general idea of what the venue is if you are not familiar with the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra.\u00a0 It\u2019s considered an outdoor venue, in which the main seating area is more or less a pavilion, covered with a roof, but open at the sides.\u00a0 There is also open grass seating at the very back.<\/p>\n

I got to the concert about 20 minutes before it was set to start, and was positioned in an Orchestra Box about 18 rows back and center. \u00a0The first thing I heard was the xylophonist playing some of \u201cQuidditch, Third Year\u201d and was immediately brimming with excitement.\u00a0 A man and his two children were sitting in front of my father and I, and was curious to gage their reactions to some of the music that was to follow.\u00a0 Mere moments before everything commenced, I looked around to see the rest of the audience, and was sadden and somewhat surprised that half the seats were empty (if I had looked at it as though it was half full then maybe I would\u2019ve been happier).<\/p>\n

The young conductor, David Amado, came out and got things going quickly.\u00a0 The concert started with an excerpt from\u00a0The Magnificent Seven<\/strong>\u00a0which was played fantastically.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure most of us are familiar with this theme, as it\u2019s probably the o\u00adne Elmer Bernstein is known for the most o\u00adn the whole, including people who are ignorant about film scores.<\/p>\n

The next thing o\u00adn the list was\u00a0Psycho, a suite for strings,\u00a0<\/strong>which before playing, Amado described as \u201cicy\u201d.<\/strong>\u00a0 Oddly, the first two pieces came from movies that were released in 1960, though the former composer was nominated for an Academy Award while Bernard Hermann was left to play in the mud.\u00a0 The suite was broken out like this:<\/p>\n

I. Prelude
\nII. The Madhouse
\nIII. The Murder<\/p>\n

Very nicely played, though the tempo of \u201cThe Murder\u201d was a little too fast for my liking, and didn\u2019t give enough time for the horror elements to soak in.<\/p>\n

Next up was Korngold\u2019s\u00a0Overture to The Sea Hawk<\/strong>, which I\u2019m sorry to say I\u2019ve never heard before.\u00a0 Now, before you go and accuse me of blasphemy, or compare me to a serial tree rapist while burning an effigy, please take note:\u00a0 I plan o\u00adn picking up a copy of this score as soon as possible.\u00a0 My exposure to Korngold was primarily through his classical concert music (i.e. Symphony in F#, Violin Concerto in D major\u2026), and I\u2019m glad to say I will soon be joining the many ranks that appreciate his film scores.<\/p>\n

David Amado was very friendly and seemed very comfortable in front of the scant crowd.\u00a0 He struck me as very personable and funny, speaking to the audience at three major sections of the concert.\u00a0 The second of these occurred when the orchestra, and the audience, took a break from traditional film score and plunged into what the conductor referred to as \u201cmusic stolen by Hollywood\u201d, with the first piece being made famous by \u201ceveryone\u2019s favorite cartoon vermin\u2026..Mickey Mouse\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0The Sorcerer\u2019s Apprentice<\/strong>\u00a0is a work I enjoy immensely, and find it to be o\u00adne of the most challenging listening experiences because of the sheer complexity of the orchestrating and constantly changing color and dynamics.\u00a0 It was played beautifully by the Philadelphia Orchestra.<\/p>\n

Which leads me to the next piece,\u00a0Bolero<\/strong>.\u00a0 Let me get this out of the way in hopes of tempering your view o\u00adn the proceeding remarks, so you\u2019re more prepared to face my opinion.\u00a0 I hate the\u00a0Bolero<\/strong>.\u00a0 The last 5 minutes cannot salvage the first 10.\u00a0 It was obvious from their reaction that Ravel plainly did not think of the well-being of the two children in front of me while writing it.\u00a0 Amado\u2019s o\u00adnly thought of the piece was two words\u2026. \u201cBo Derek\u201d, and she\u2019s o\u00adnly\u00a0somewhat<\/em>\u00a0better then the music itself.\u00a0 Even Ravel hated it after a while and wished he never wrote it, describing it himself as a piece for orchestra \u201cwithout music\u201d.\u00a0 Regardless, the Orchestra played it quite ably and I especially want to shake the snare drummer\u2019s hand, for he is truly mighty.<\/p>\n

Then it was time for the intermission, during which time they allowed the people with grass seating to join the rest of the general area.\u00a0 This was a nice move considering it rained for about 18 hours prior to the concert.\u00a0 I was starting to get amped up as people started filing back to their seats, and heard little kids humming the Star Wars theme, and parents reassuring their kids that, yes, Harry Potter was still o\u00adn the bill.<\/p>\n

Without speaking, Amado took to the podium and immediately launched into\u00a0The Raiders March<\/strong>.\u00a0 This was unbelievably taut and well played.\u00a0 It was nice to hear this version, because the last time I had the opportunity, John Williams was conducting, but it was the March from \u201cThe Last Crusade\u201d.\u00a0 What followed was a warm and hearty applause, and the reasons were clear what the audience came to see.<\/p>\n

Amado spoke for the third and last time before the next piece, and mentioned that it was at this movie he had his first date, and was shocked that he didn\u2019t have worse memories of it.\u00a0\u00a0Adventures o\u00adn Earth<\/strong>from \u201cE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial\u201d was absolutely phenomenal.\u00a0 It was played slowly and deliberately, very much unlike the recorded version for the film.\u00a0 But it was nice to hear it this way, because you could catch every single note, and this enabled Amado to quicken the tempo toward the end for a great and thrilling conclusion.\u00a0 I could tell that Williams had a better reach to children, which was proof enough o\u00adn the faces of the little o\u00adnes in front of me.<\/p>\n

Then came what I was most anxious to hear.\u00a0\u00a0Suite from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,<\/strong>which was listed in the playbill like this:<\/p>\n

I. Witches, Wands, and Wizards
\nII. Aunt Marge\u2019s Waltz
\nIII. The Knight Bus
\nIV. A Bridge to the Past
\nV .Double Trouble<\/p>\n

This is not quite how it was played and more importantly, \u201cDouble Trouble\u201d never came, as promised.\u00a0 \u201cWitches, Wands, and Wizards\u201d, is a generically titled, and basically a note for note version of \u2013 \u201cQuidditch, Third Year\u201d \u2013 The end of \u201cSecrets of the Castle\u201d (Bird Flight\/flute theme)\u00a0 – \u201cSnowball Fight\u201d.\u00a0 The real problem with the way this panned out is that there were no proper segues or pauses.\u00a0 Imagine hearing the thunderous Quidditch music (which was glorious) going, without break, into that flute run.\u00a0 As a result, the Orchestra didn\u2019t seem to be o\u00adn time with each other, though I originally thought that was an effect of the acoustics given the nature of the venue.\u00a0 It then recovered with a great rendition of \u201cSnowball Fight\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cAunt Marge\u2019s Waltz\u201d was decent, but unfortunately nothing to rave about, and was slightly tarnished with the unnecessary use of a slide whistle during the climax which made me question, and want to consult, the sheet music o\u00adn the stand.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is where things got strange.\u00a0 I was expecting to hear some jazz fusion next, but instead, received an earful of countrified tuneage.\u00a0 The very pastoral \u201cPast\u201d theme was executed perfectly and was a combination of \u201cA Window to the Past\u201d and the last part of \u201cFinale\u201d with a touch of new orchestration to connect them.\u00a0\u00a0Then<\/em>\u00a0came \u201cThe Knight Bus\u201d, which I would have voted against including in the suite, because I felt the audience really pulling away o\u00adn this o\u00adne (properly scaring the bejesus out of the kids in my box).\u00a0 It sounded even more confusing as a live performance, but audience reaction notwithstanding, it was still fun to listen to all the same.\u00a0 When it was over, the conductor lowered his baton and turned toward us, and I lowered my head to my Playbill.\u00a0 I clearly saw \u201cV. Double Trouble\u201d, and looked back to him.\u00a0 His body language and the insistent clapping around me indicated that the suite was officially over.\u00a0 I decided to use the 3 or 4 seconds before the next piece to view my Playbill o\u00adne more time, in case I misread or had developed a reading issue.\u00a0 I then wondered why Williams would end the suite with this section of the score, and not something more emotional or thematically driven.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Title from Star Wars<\/strong>\u00a0was met with applause during the opening notes.\u00a0 It occurred to me that several people might have purchases their marginally priced tickets to hear this, and o\u00adnly this, theme.<\/span>\u00a0 The Philadelphia Orchestra played this with such gusto and passion, it was certainly the loudest of the works played.\u00a0 The two kids popped up like prairie dogs having previously cowered under their father\u2019s arms during the Knight Bus music, and now seemed completely in awe (visions of Skywalker not doubt danced in their heads).\u00a0 It was like the whole evening was just a nice stroll around the block in preparation for this o\u00adne moment.\u00a0 I can\u2019t begin to tell you all how wonderful the feeling was, and how much of a driving force is still behind this theme even after 28 years.<\/p>\n

And then everything was over, and I was forced to relinquish the additional yearning I had for an encore of maybe a dozen more Williams\u2019 pieces.\u00a0 It really made me wish they stuck with the original plan, which was to play a concert composed (pun excusable) entirely of John Williams\u2019 music.\u00a0 I am now o\u00adn watch for any more of these types of concerts, when Music Directors actually give film composers the light of day, and the Orchestras play the music with equal and unwavering enthusiasm.\u00a0 It certainly made the kids happy.<\/p>\n

— Tim Friel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA Friday, July 8, 2005 The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by David Amado<\/p>\n

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