The whole orchestra playing movie soundtracks thing is jumping the shark…
-
So my review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II with the NSO playing live accompaniment…
“Really?! I just paid $150 for the 3 of us to have a worse experience than we would have had for $45 at a Drive In Theater?!”
Seriously, the big appeal to this was the outdoor movie. That was what 80% of the people there paid for. The actual performance by the orchestra wasn’t quite forgettable, which is a bad thing! The music should be forgettable in some ways. You should not notice the music in the actual middle of scenes. Overtures? Yes… Setting stages? Okay? But not in the middle of the scenes.
Karla and I commented to each other about how the slow and melancholy melody completely changed the mood of what would have been an upbeat action sequence. The problem? We never should have noticed how it affected the emotion. When you notice the music in a film, it is failing.
When you notice the music in a film, it is failing.
Not sure that can be said for all films. In some cases the music is an integral part of the cinematic illusion. Examples of such that come to mind are; Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as well the James Bond movies and Sergio Leone’s budget Spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood. The music soundtrack is very much part of the drama and action in all those films.
Elbows up!
-
There’s a church in Manhattan that shows Nosferatu with a live orchestra around holloween. It’s pretty cool.
@jon-nyc said in The whole orchestra playing movie soundtracks thing is jumping the shark…:
There’s a church in Manhattan that shows Nosferatu with a live orchestra around holloween. It’s pretty cool.
Yea, and that's not just some church it's the Cathedral of St. John the Devine, the largest gothic church in the western hemisphere. A very cool and spooky (Episcopalian) church. I'm not sure if they are still doing it but they did a couple of years ago.
-
When you notice the music in a film, it is failing.
Not sure that can be said for all films. In some cases the music is an integral part of the cinematic illusion. Examples of such that come to mind are; Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as well the James Bond movies and Sergio Leone’s budget Spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood. The music soundtrack is very much part of the drama and action in all those films.
@Renauda said in The whole orchestra playing movie soundtracks thing is jumping the shark…:
When you notice the music in a film, it is failing.
Not sure that can be said for all films. In some cases the music is an integral part of the cinematic illusion. Examples of such that come to mind are; Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as well the James Bond movies and Sergio Leone’s budget Spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood. The music soundtrack is very much part of the drama and action in all those films.
I think, perhaps, he was referring to hearing music in a film [louder during a live orchestral performance than you normally would just watching the film.]
-
When you notice the music in a film, it is failing.
Not sure that can be said for all films. In some cases the music is an integral part of the cinematic illusion. Examples of such that come to mind are; Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as well the James Bond movies and Sergio Leone’s budget Spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood. The music soundtrack is very much part of the drama and action in all those films.
@Renauda said in The whole orchestra playing movie soundtracks thing is jumping the shark…:
When you notice the music in a film, it is failing.
Not sure that can be said for all films. In some cases the music is an integral part of the cinematic illusion. Examples of such that come to mind are; Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as well the James Bond movies and Sergio Leone’s budget Spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood. The music soundtrack is very much part of the drama and action in all those films.
I specifically excluded the overtures, scene changes, etc… most of what you were referencing. I’m speaking more to the background mood music.
-
It sells. I don't love it either, but it sells. Especially in summer with so many outdoor shows.
@Mik said in The whole orchestra playing movie soundtracks thing is jumping the shark…:
It sells. I don't love it either, but it sells. Especially in summer with so many outdoor shows.
It’s extending past the summer…
https://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/home/2025-2026/marvel-infinity-saga/
-
Somewhat related, there’s a British organist named Anna Lapwood that is making the organ popular somewhat. She covers all sorts, classics, movie themes, etc. I follow her on instagram and was surprised to see 3 of my friends also follow her account. She brings joy and insight into playing the organ, and yes with a name like Lapwood, playing organs, and she is pretty… doesn’t hurt the cause.
-
-
@Axtremus said in The whole orchestra playing movie soundtracks thing is jumping the shark…:
Link to video
2-3 good points for every 6-8 loads of crap. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
-
She’s right in the need to innovate, though. The candlelight recitals are fantastic. One of the other things that I almost agreed with her on as well is the patronage model, until she turned into a whole bunch of socially ignorant bs. Today’s patronage isn’t the Rothschilds. It’s 1st generation tech millionaires and billionaires.
