March 15, 2025
Mount Pisgah Church
Johns Creek, Georgia – USA
“Form Screen to Stage”
Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra; Howard Hsu, conductor.
Richard STRAUSS, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Intro
Lalo SCHIFRIN (arr. Calvin Custer), Mission: Impossible Theme
Pietro MASCAGNI, Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY, Love Theme (from “Romeo and Juliet”)
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY, Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a: Scene
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY, Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy
John WILLIAMS (arr. Jerry Brubaker), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Symphonic Suite
John WILLIAMS (arr. Calvin Custer), Theme from Schindler’s List
John WILLIAMS, Star Wars Suite (complete)
Howard Wershil | 20 MAR 2025
I wonder what Romantic-era composers who embraced the idea of programmatic music would think if they could see how vital, pervasive, and necessary music is in so many of the visual experiences we enjoy today. Indeed, music provides the narrative, the mood, the background, the foundation, and the mirror for so many of them, with cinema being the most familiar. It is fitting to note how much of it is truly symphonic, an organic evolution from, and sometimes imitation of, classical music orchestration genius. For the classical music purists who may discount the achievements of movie music composers, I would point out that so much of that music, while firmly based on the brilliance of the past, always has the composer’s own mark embedded in it. It’s the brilliance of the past that functions as a cherished filter through which the composer’s own personality emerges.
So, for tonight, and just for tonight, let’s forget the shocking, the dazzling, the astonishing, the exciting, the eye-opening, and the mind-expanding that bold contemporary music concerts can afford us. We’ve had enough of it for now, yes? Tonight, it’s “Off To The Movies!” as the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra presents us with a concert featuring themes from movies many of us have watched, providing us with an emotional link back to the viewing experience and the joy (or sorrow, or thrill) it provided.
If the awe and vast majesty of outer space thrill you to the core, you may be a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey, whose epic obelisk theme sets the stage for the action to come. Of course, when Richard Strauss composed the introduction to Also Sprach Zarathrustra, it’s a good bet that Man becoming Superman, not astronauts encountering unknown forces, was swimming in his fevered imagination. Nevertheless, well over a century later, the theme has become synonymous with the thrill of exploration and the dawn of man for a large part of the population. Our listening experience this evening, glorious as it was, might have benefitted from a larger orchestra. In our heads, we all hear this theme as if performed by Supermusicians, don’t we? Loud and bombastic, at ear-splitting volumes! But that could be simply a matter of preference or the result of an upbringing lacking in taste and discernment. You decide. In any case, the acoustics of the church were wonderful and afforded the piece the grandeur it certainly deserved.
Without allowing an opportunity for applause, the conductor immediately jolted forward into Lalo Schifrin’s thrilling theme from the Mission: Impossible television show and movie franchises. This was a jaunty, galloping, slick, smart rendition, with great drum set work rhythmically driving the snappy melodies. At times, the piano followed a fraction behind the rest of the orchestra, only amplifying the sense of action and anticipation demanded by the music. I think both Martin Landau and Tom Cruise would have been pleased.
Pietro Mascagni’s familiar “Intermezzo” from his one-act opera Cavalleria Rusticana, featured in Raging Bull and The Godfather: Part III, was our next gift on the program. This tender, somber, soaring piece of music was sensitively performed with lovely oboe and harp work that showcased the composition’s timeless beauty.
“From Stage to Screen” – The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Howard Hsu, brings iconic film scores to life. (Credit: Ken Ortloff)
One of the wonderful aspects of the concert was the conductor’s enthusiasm in offering explanations and perspectives for the pieces being performed and for the composers who created them, as well as personal insights and opinions. For the fourth piece on the program, the conductor shared, to our sly amusement, his vision of a lush, green field upon which two lovers run in slow motion towards each other, that “Love Theme” (from Romeo and Juliet) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky evokes for him. Swirling stereotypes notwithstanding, the JCSO and conductor Howard Hsu gave this beloved classic more than adequate warmth and splendor. The piece has been featured in such movies as Moonraker, The Jazz Singer, and (wait for it…) Wayne’s World.
Tchaikovsky fared well in this concert, with two more featured selections by him to follow.
Most people know music from his Swan Lake as associated with the ballet, but it might surprise you to know that this music has been used in several feature films as diverse in nature as Barbara Streisand’s Funny Girl and Natalie Portman’s Black Swan. Again, Hsu enlightened us with the observation that Tchaikovsky was indeed a master creator of melody. In “Scene” from Swan Lake Suite, we hear a quite beautiful melody, simple yet profound, with the harp and oboe once again exalting its beauty, good strong horn work, and a confident performance overall.
Before conducting Tchaikovsky’s classic “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” from Nutcracker Suite, Hsu offered us a brief lesson in the composer’s ability to utilize the special aspects of the orchestra’s instrumentation, in particular, the power of the celeste to create an otherworldly, illusionary landscape. This selection was sensitively performed, with wonderful instrumental clarity and delicacy—a beautiful tribute to an elderly classic.
The first half of the concert ended with John Williams’ alluring and mysterious Symphonic Suite from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, arranged by Jerry Brubaker. Again, our conductor offered an affable and engaging insight into the composer’s influences, including Tchaikovsky and his use of celeste, while slowly dressing as Professor Severus Snape. He did apologize for having to discard the wig before engaging the orchestra. I’m sure that doing so provided us all with a more competent and nuanced rendition. It was a lighthearted but haunting performance, with rapid, high, eerie string passages and a tight percussion section giving a solid backbone to the many emerging and evolving textures.
An unexpected aspect of this concert was the invitation for attendees to cosplay as their favorite character from one of the movies featured in the concert, with the audience selecting their favorite during intermission. While the two runners-up were decidedly juvenile costumers, the winner, a gentleman who dressed as Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody from the Harry Potter movies, was a child of decidedly mature adulthood, proving once again that you can be a child at any age.
Audience members of all ages join the fun, dressing as their favorite film characters for a lively cosplay contest at this past Sunday’s JCSO concert. (credit: Ken Ortloff)
After intermission, the program continued with the second of three featured performances of John Williams’ music, the “Theme” from Schindler’s List. For me, and I imagine many others, it’s impossible to listen to this music without experiencing profound emotional affect. It’s music that deeply touches your soul. Much of this evening’s performance of “Theme” featured a solo violinist (concertmaster Adelaide Federici), who offered the iconic melody the depth and candor it so truly deserves, while the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra offered this theme admirable and reverential support.
Our final selection of the evening, Williams’ Suite from “Star Wars,” was preceded with a marvelous lesson from our conductor, noting how film composer Eric Korngold was influenced by Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, and other late 19th-century composer contemporaries, and how John Williams was affected by Erich Korngold, Gustav Holst, Edward Elgar, and other early 20th century composers. We were illuminated with excerpts from Korngold’s, Holst’s, and Elgar’s music that sounded oddly similar to passages from parts of the music from Star Wars. The JCSO’s rendition of this exciting, well-known film music fully expressed the beautiful, luminous orchestrations and beloved, lyrical melodies provided to us by the composer, bringing us all to a standing ovation.
Thank you, Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra and conductor Howard Hsu, for an enlightening and entertaining evening of fun and engagement. We’ll be looking forward to more in the future.
Oh, so much more!
We’ve seen in the diversity of the content of various JCSO concerts their ability to handle a wide variety of styles and genres magnificently. It should be no surprise, then, that the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra has been selected as one of nine orchestras to join a national consortium as part of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program, an initiative of the League of American Orchestras in partnership with the American Composers Orchestra (ACO). The consortium gives greater visibility to new full-length works by women and nonbinary composers, each commissioned by the League in partnership with ACO. The orchestra is thrilled that composer Angel Lam will join them in their 2026-2027 season as part of this initiative. This is a huge honor and accomplishment for the JCSO. Heartfelt congratulations to all involved.
Music is a distinctive and miraculous marvel. It plays such a significant role in shaping our memories, our emotions, and our experiences. A good film score sets the mood and creates emotional connections between viewers and characters, endowing meaning to both their lives. The next time your fancy takes you to the movies or the next time you watch a film for the second, third, or twenty-third time, take a moment to listen closer. Consider the message. Absorb the impact. Feel the emotions and let them burn through your soul! You may be listening not only to a score designed to fulfill the needs of the movie you’re viewing. You may be hearing music that’s the soundtrack to your life. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra: johnscreeksymphony.org
- Howard Hsu: howardhsuconductor.com
Read more by Howard Wershil.
.png){kind=logo}