Tim Burton fans can celebrate his creative partnership with Danny Elfman with the help of Pacific Symphony and Cal State Fullerton\u2019s University Singers just in time for Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cDanny Elfman\u2019s Music from the Films of Tim Burton\u201d runs Feb. 13 and 14 at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa for a two-hour, 15-minute concert featuring music from films like \u201cBatman,\u201d \u201cBig Fish,\u201d \u201cBeetlejuice,\u201d \u201cCharlie and the Chocolate Factory,\u201d Tim Burton\u2019s \u201cCorpse Bride\u201d and \u201cThe Nightmare Before Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis concert presentation celebrates one of cinema\u2019s most enduring creative partnerships, while bringing the music front and center as it is performed by the full orchestra of Pacific Symphony,\u201d said Eileen Jeanette, Pacific Symphony senior vice president of Artistic Planning and Production. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Danny Elfman is not appearing in person, the concert focuses on his instantly recognizable scores, which are inseparable from the imaginative worlds created by Tim Burton. The program has been performed successfully around the world, and we felt it was finally time to bring it to Pacific Symphony audiences. With Hollywood being nearby, we know there are a lot of fans who already know and love this music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of the Pacific Symphony Pops Series, which is designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences, the concert also includes visual elements like film montages, sketches and storyboards drawn from Tim Burton\u2019s original work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese visuals will marry beautifully with the music the orchestra plays, creating an atmosphere that enhances the storytelling,\u201d Jeanette said.<\/p>\n
The orchestra will be led by guest conductor Sarah Hicks, who specializes in film music and the film-in-concert genre. It will also feature violinist Sandy Cameron, a well-known interpreter of Elfman\u2019s music. Elfman actually wrote his violin concerto, \u201cEleven Eleven,\u201d for Cameron.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah Hicks is a remarkable conductor with deep experience in film music, and she brings incredible energy to the orchestra,\u201d Jeanette said. \u201cSandy Cameron is one of the leading interpreters of Danny Elfman\u2019s music and her violin solos add a haunting, expressive dimension to the program. We are also proud to feature the CSUF University Singers, whose voices add dramatic weight and emotional impact, along with Antonio Lin, a gifted young boy soprano from the All American Boys Chorus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christopher W. Peterson, professor of music and director of Choral Music Education at Cal State Fullerton, said their department\u2019s students have partnered with Pacific Symphony in the past. They have sung in their concert shows, including \u201cSweeney Todd\u201d in concert and \u201cHome Alone Live.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Cal State Fullerton students have been featured onstage as choristers and supernumeraries in past opera productions such as \u2018Carmen,\u2019 \u2018La Bohemia\u2019 and \u2018La Traviata,\u2019\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n
He said the University Singers will participate in every song at this concert.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are 15 songs [in] the concert, and the choir sings all or part of 15 of them,\u201d he said. \u201cWe sometimes have words, though we often have neutral syllables like \u2018oo\u2019 and \u2018ahh\u2019 in thick chordal textures that add to the orchestral [and] musical effect. People who know Tim Burton films can certainly attest that the choir timbres play a big role in the musical effect of the plot underscoring. We find Danny Elfman\u2019s scoring to be fun yet still challenging to sing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peterson said that while Elfman\u2019s music is not too difficult for the University Singers to perform \u2014 since they are made up of some of the most skilled choral musicians in the CSU Fullerton School of Music \u2014 the choir parts can be challenging at times because of the nature of movie music.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe audience will see the movie above the musicians and as the excitement of the score weaves together with the plot, the music changes meter frequently, changes modes often, and has wide swings of dynamic and vocal ranges in almost every song,\u201d he said. \u201cFor the choir, it can sometimes be like a musical rollercoaster ride rather than a quiet stroll in the park. They are enjoying the challenge and are excited to be singing the concert.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peterson said the singers are looking forward to the whole show, but they particularly like singing \u201cMars Attacks!\u201d and \u201cBatman Returns\u201d because those are exciting and energetic songs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe song with the most text, \u2018Corpse Bride,\u2019 is also a favorite for the University Singers because it\u2019s playful and fun,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n