RSNO - Hooray for Hollywood - The Golden Age of Film Music, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Alison Kerr
5 stars
Yee-ha! Is there a better way to be sent out into a Saturday night in Glasgow than Elmer Bernstein's rip-roaring theme to The Magnificent Seven? On the evidence of another unforgettable, five-star, night of film music performed by the RSNO conducted by Richard Kaufman, the answer has to be no - even if they did try to calm things down with their sumptuous Somewhere Over the Rainbow encore.
In fact, is there a better way to appreciate the genius of Bernstein and his fellow film composers than to hear their work being played by the RSNO? Probably not. Composer Franz Waxman must have been spinning in his grave - with delight - at the electrifying performance of his rousing, rarely-heard, Ride of the Cossacks theme for Taras Bulba, a film unfamiliar even to buffs.
Of course, the RSNO has illustrious links to the world of movie music, having recorded a series of definitive versions of film scores, and having given concerts with the likes of Bernstein himself at the helm. Indeed, the most magical moments of Saturday came courtesy of Bernstein; a poignant and spell-binding performance of the theme from To Kill a Mockingbird worth the ticket price alone.
When Kaufman was here in December, he brought Olivia Douglas Tiomkin, the widow of one of the great Hollywood composers, Dmitri Tiomkin. On Saturday, he went one better and produced not only Tiomkin's widow but two of his Academy Awards. To terrific applause, the twin Oscars took pride of place on the stage as the orchestra played Tiomkin's music from The Old Man and the Sea and The High and the Mighty.
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