WSO concert celebrates movie music
Occasion for the Arts performance will highlight icon cinema scores
“This was my idea to program a concert that appealed to audiences of all backgrounds, all ages,” said Janna Hymes, the symphony’s music director. “It’s a concert that is universal in appeal.”
Because it’s a part of An Occasion for the Arts, which draws thousands of diverse people to downtown Williamsburg, Hymes envisioned something broader than the groups other main season performances and masterclasses.
“Everybody goes to the movies,” she said. “Everybody likes movie music.”
The concert features works from composer John Williams, from his “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars” themes, drenched in nostalgia and grandiosity, to the emotional “Hymn to the Fallen” from “Saving Private Ryan.”
Other selections span Danny Elfman’s “Spider-Man” score, Michael Giacchino’s work from Pixar’s “Up” and Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” from “Trolls” for children.
It’s a celebration of the motion pictures that take us on grandiose adventures and introspective journeys in a medium where music is rarely the central focus, but the cinematic experience would be unrecognizable without it.
“Imagine your life without music,” Hymes said. “No matter what you listen to, it certainly wouldn’t be the same.”
The symphony’s performances naturally complement the artwork on display at the Occasion.
“We’re really excited about this collaboration,” said Carolyn Keurajian, the symphony’s executive director. “It’s such a great festival.”
The musical performances are meant to build on the overarching festival experience.
“It creates more of a true festival, celebration-of-the-arts kind of feeling,” said Bob Harris, the Occasion’s media and community engagement coordinator. “There’s more of a focus on the performing arts than there has been in the past.”
Hymes emphasized the vital role different types of art play throughout the human experience.
“Music is here and then it’s gone. Art is not that way,” she said of the other media that will be present. “They do go hand in hand. While film is not the subject of An Occasion for the Arts, the idea of art and the idea of stories and the idea of beauty and the idea of connecting with people’s soul is very evident in the artwork.”
“Symphony at the Movies,” ultimately, is one art form’s love letter to another, as each stands as its own unique brand of storytelling.
“All music has a story behind it,” Hymes said. “It tells a story and it describes a human feeling. I love that about music.”
