Elfman/Burton concert in London (October 7th, 2013 @ Royal Albert Hall)

[TownerFan 4,983]

This hasn't been posted here yet:

http://life.royalalberthall.com/2013/02/danny-elfmans-music-from-the-films-of-tim-burton/

Concert will be performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by John Mauceri. The composer will be present and will also SING on stage for the first time in 18 years.

Looks like an awesome event, I hope I'll be able to attend (I'm short of money right now )

[crocodile 7,984]

I need to be there!

EDIT: OK ticket booked!

Karol

[Thor 7,471]

Yup, I bought a ticket for this a couple of days ago! It will definitely be one of the biggest film music events in my life.

[crocodile 7,984]

So I guess, I'll see you in Krakow in September and then in London a week later.

(I know that I'm going to be in Kraków, because I got the Christmas voucher that allows me to attend all concerts).

Speaking of tickets, this concert is selling out fast!

Karol

[Thor 7,471]

Yeah, we'll bump into each other this fall, Karol!

I'm surprised there has been little buzz about this event here.

[crocodile 7,984]

I booked these two weeks as my holiday so it will be quite intense and exciting. I was even thinking of going to Vienna in between, for the Horner thing.

And yeah, it is kind of quiet on here. Nobody else is going then, I take it?

Karol

[Omen II 1,235]

This looks like it will be fun but I will not know until nearer the time if I can make that date, by which time the tickets will almost certainly have sold out. I've not seen Danny Elfman in the flesh before and cannot remember any concerts devoted solely to his music in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Every year there seem to be so many great film music concerts in London. Any film music fans that cannot make this one might be interested in the two film music concerts that the London Philharmonic Orchestra will be giving in November (one of which will also be conducted by John Mauceri) or the Patrick Doyle 60th birthday concert with the London Symphony Orchestra in December, to name but three.

[Richard Penna 3,672]

I could easily go to this, but I'm not into his Tim Burton stuff really.

And only one area is not sold out - clearly many others think differently!

[publicist 4,643]

Horner/Vienna or Elfman/London; hmmm, i don't have to toss coins here, since Elfman may be a much more integer artist, but i just like Horner more and Vienna is much nearer.

[crocodile 7,984]

Can you buy tickets for Horner concert already?

Karol

[Thor 7,471]

Can you buy tickets for Horner concert already?

Karol

Nope. Not yet.

[Jay 37,287]

I might just cross the Atlantic for the first time for this....

[crocodile 7,984]

Would be cool to meet you in person, Jason!

Karol

[Jay 37,287]

It's looking like I can get plane tickets there and back for about $1,000. Certainly do-able. Haven't investigated lodging yet or how long I'd want to stay...

[Thor 7,471]

It's looking like I can get plane tickets there and back for about $1,000. Certainly do-able. Haven't investigated lodging yet or how long I'd want to stay...

You may be too late, Jason. I believe the only seats still available have obstructed views. Of course, there's the "black market"...

[Jay 37,287]

Shit!

[crocodile 7,984]

There are still 4 second tier seats left, Jason. Go to the website and chech yourself.

Karol

[Jay 37,287]

Yea but I can't buy a ticket until I am sure about all travel and financial plans, and that will take some time still to figure out. I wish concerts like this were not announced at the same time tickets went up for sale, I wish the announcement was one day and the ticket release was like a week later.

[crocodile 7,984]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I myself bought the ticket just like that, before even thinking it through. But for me it takes only 1.5 hours on a train to get to London.

Karol

[Omen II 1,235]

Yea but I can't buy a ticket until I am sure about all travel and financial plans, and that will take some time still to figure out. I wish concerts like this were not announced at the same time tickets went up for sale, I wish the announcement was one day and the ticket release was like a week later.

Jason, while I cannot guarantee this, it is quite common for concerts at the Royal Albert Hall to 'sell out' on the website with apparently every seat accounted for, only for more seats to become available nearer the time of the concert. If you check the website again today, for example, there is suddenly a good number of seats available again in the Circle and most with unrestricted views. Also some of the rich folk, companies, etc. rent the loggia boxes at the hall but will not be interested in every concert, so their seats become available too. For example, the John Williams concert with the RPO last year ostensibly sold out weeks in advance, but returns were still available from people realising they couldn't go in the days leading up to the concert. The RAH has a capacity of about 6,000, so you always have a reasonable chance if you persevere.

It is also worth noting that tickets for the Gallery (the standing section up in the gods) in the Royal Albert Hall often do not go on sale at all until most of the tickets in the seated sections have been sold. I would not mind betting that tickets for this section will become available in the fullness of time. It is quite fun standing at the top, as long as you do not mind heights!

[Jay 37,287]

Good to know! Hopefully I can make something happen

[Katie Bath 0]

Andre Rieu is an old version singer, But he has an many fans if you're also fan of it and want to going in the concert then you should buy the Andre Rieu concert tickets

[Thor 7,471]

Andre Rieu is an old version singer, But he has an many fans if you're also fan of it and want to going in the concert then you should buy the Andre Rieu concert tickets

What's his connection to the Elfman/Burton concert?

[Jay 37,287]

Spam?

[Thor 7,471]

Seems like it....

[Thor 7,471]

Here's a thread I created about a possible get-together (to merge the relevant groups). Please let me know if you want your name added to the list:

http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=98232&forumID=1&archive=0

[crocodile 7,984]

There will also be a US concert in Los Angeles on 31st of October.

Karol

[Jay 37,287]

Damn, I'm gonna miss it by 10 days!

[crocodile 7,984]

It is a very short notice, to be quite frank. I mean the London concert was announced ages ago.

Karol

[Omen II 1,235]

Danny Elfman talks a bit about the concert in this here promotional video:

[Omen II 1,235]

It is also worth noting that tickets for the Gallery (the standing section up in the gods) in the Royal Albert Hall often do not go on sale at all until most of the tickets in the seated sections have been sold. I would not mind betting that tickets for this section will become available in the fullness of time. It is quite fun standing at the top, as long as you do not mind heights!

Tickets for the London premiere at the RAH are now available for the gallery (standing) and choir (seated, but without a view of the screen) sections for anyone that missed out during the original sale. Lick on the original clink in Maurizio's post or go here:

http://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/danny-elfman/default.aspx

[Omen II 1,235]

I'm so glad I was able to go to this in the end, it was a truly fantastic evening! So many highlights, but seeing and hearing Danny Elfman sing a selection of songs from A Nightmare Before Christmas as Jack Skellington (and the rapturous standing ovation he received from the packed Royal Albert Hall) is another thing off my bucket list. He looked genuinely moved by the audience response and thanked everyone for giving him "the best moment of his life." Bless!

[Jay 37,287]

Wow, that is awesome!

[crocodile 7,984]

Yeah it was a brilliant concert, much better than I anticipated. Perhaps Royal Albert Hall acoustics didn't exactly compliment some of Elfman's music (especially more massive pieces), but from the presentation/programme point of view it was impeccable (with some great Easter eggs here and there). I had a great time (and so did everyone I spent my wonderful evening with). I'd love to see it again. And Danny clearly stole the show (which was his own anyway) by his performance as Jack Skellington.

Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter were also there. She guest-performed a song as well. And Lydia Kavina (Ed Wood, EXistenZ and Soul of the Ultimate Nation) performed theremin solos.

Some more detailed thoughts later (I had a few drinks, you see.)

Karol

[crocodile 7,984]

So I came back a couple of hours ago from London where we had our meeting and a concert.

It was a blast, truly. Much better than I expected. If you get a chance to catch a performance near you, by any means, go. But even if you don't all those performances in two countries might not be the end, as Elfman has reportedly a list of places all around the world that he'd like to visit. In a way having less to do with the format of orchestral concerts and having a broader appeal. But in a good sense.

The performance presented every single Burton/Elfman feature film. Only few of them in a shorter main title format known from films/albums. Indeed most of the scores were presented in a longer suite like medleys (not completely unlike Friday's Titanic and Avatar in Vienna). There was no talking during the performance, no introductions. Just pure music, one piece after the other with titles been shown on the screen above (along with Tim Burton drawings and some shots from films). Lydia Kavina, a renowned thereminist (known from a lot of Howard Shore's works) along with BBC Concert Orchestra and 45-piece choir, the ensemble filled an entire stage of Royal Albert Hall.

As an overture they played main titles from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with Kavina's solos) which segued directly into two suites from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice in longer forms. What's interesting about all those suites is that they are not a verbatim translations of music heard on albums and you can hear certain changes in orchestrations here and there. For example, Corpse Bride suite consisted of main titles music which was followed by Victor's piano solos. And that part was expanded considerably, leaning towards Elfman's writing from Serenada Schizophrana's first movement. And what followed was a choral sections from Wedding Song (which I absolutely adore). These kind of changes appear elsewhere as well. For a example Batman/Batman Returns contained the waltz arranged accompanied by chorus. The rest of this suite consisted of the main title, Batmobile scene, then the mentioned waltz, followed by Penguin and Catwoman themes from the second film's end credits, the segment from Birth of Penguin, his death scene and then finale from the first film. A boy soprano led suite from Sleepy Hollow (with completely different arrangements to those heard on soundtrack album) was one of the more low-key performances, similarly to Big Fish and Dark Shadows (of which they performed the prologue sequence). But that is a good thing, the concert was very well structured with the music being presented in a varied and entertaining way. Each score had its own unique "thing" and thus they didn't blend into one. One of the surprisingly entertaining elements was a resurrection scene from Frankenweenie performed to a scene from the film (with no sound)

Only a couple of scores were represented with their main titles: Charlie, Mars Attacks! (which the audience loved), Alice In Wonderland and Planet of the Apes. That last work was originally supposed to be performed with 10 guys walking onto stage while stomping and playing different percussive instruments. It proved to be impossible, largely due to the size of stage. And the pieces ended up being a mixture of live orchestral percussion and synth overlay known from the soundtrack album.

The final longer orchestral suite was Edward Scissorhands, clear fan favourite judging from the audience reactions. And probably one of the strongest and fulfilling pieces. Among the pieces performed were main titles, cookie's factory, the insane violin solos from Edward the Barber, and The Grand Finale.

After that, the orchestra played some orchestral passages from The Nightmare Before Christmas while Danny Elfman walked onto the stage and performed Jack's Lament, What's This? (played live to the scene), Sally's Song (guest performed, to the audience's surprise by Helena Bonham-Carter) and Jack's Obsession, Poor Jack. Elfman, clearly stressed out by his first performance in years, got better and better with each minute. He didn't just sing the songs, the performed Jack's character on stage. And the audience loved every second of it. It's interesting his voice hasn't changed a whole lot since the films' release.

The final piece of the evening was (already mentioned) Alice's Theme. The only difference to the album version was that the chorus was joined by boy soprano, to make words more understandable (I would imagine). It was a boisterous and fittingly grand way to finish the concert. Elfman performed one more song (Oogie Boogie's Song) as an encore and the concert was over to a lengthy standing ovation. Elfman said only one sentence:

Thank you for providing me with what may be the best moment of my life.

I'm not exactly sure whether Royal Albert Hall is the best place to perform this type of music, as the detail in louder parts became somewhat lost, sound was slightly inconsistent throughout performance, but that's probably largely due to the venue. But the energy was there regardless, so that's just a minor issue. I'm sure the show will get better and better with each evening. And also the audience wasn't exactly the type of crowd that comes to orchestral performances, as they start to clap when a familiar pieces starts. But then again, Danny Elfman never had a huge respect for academia and, as a consequence, their savoir-vivre rules so maybe it was only fitting people showed their enthusiasm in a more natural way. It's just a pity that overwhelmed the music in a few spots.

Before the concert some of us (Thor, Jim Ware, fommes and some really lovely people from FSM and maintitles.net) met up in a restaurant and were joined for a little bit by none other than Richard Kraft, who answered some of our questions and teased the performance. After the performance most of us went for some drinks and that was indeed quite lovely.

As I said, I would go and see it again. In fact I'm tempted to attend Thursday performance in Birmingham, but that depends on a few things (transport being one of them).

Karol

[TownerFan 4,983]

Gosh, it sounds like a terrific concert. Thanks for the report, croc!

Just one question: did they use the much-famous RAH organ during the Batman suite?

[Omen II 1,235]

Just one question: did they use the much-famous RAH organ during the Batman suite?

Excellent review by the way, Karol. Whereabouts were you sitting? I was in the circle. There seemed to be quite a lot of goth couples in the audience as well as film score geeks (although I don't suppose the two categories are mutually exclusive by any means!).

My only real (minor) criticism of the concert was that the orchestra was amplified with the sound being heard over speakers, perhaps depending on where in the hall you were sitting. I quickly got used to it but it would have been nice to hear everything 'live', if you know what I mean. I can understand miking the singers but would be interested to know why it was felt necessary to amplify the whole orchestra.

[lonzoe 18]

So you didn't get to meet Elfman? Glad you enjoyed yourself Croc. Sounds like it was an amazing experience. Hopefully this will get a CD release someday. I would love to hear Elfman's new arrangements. Since I'm unable to go to any of the concerts.

[Incanus 5,713]

Excellent work JWFan's travelling correspondent Karol! Thank you again for your reviews and reports!

[crocodile 7,984]

Just one question: did they use the much-famous RAH organ during the Batman suite?

Yup, and not only there.

Omen II, I was sitting in the stalls, sixth row between the entrances J and K.

Karol

[Thor 7,471]

Gosh, it sounds like a terrific concert. Thanks for the report, croc!

Just one question: did they use the much-famous RAH organ during the Batman suite?

YES! And on several other pieces too.

God, I have so much to share -- pictures, stories (for both Vienna and London) -- but I'll have to let it sink in first.

[lonzoe 18]

I'm very much looking forward to reading what you have to say about the concert Thor.

[crocodile 7,984]

So you didn't get to meet Elfman?

Nope, unfortunately. Thor will tell you he tried, but Elfman wanted to concentrate on the performance and wouldn't want to attend any meetings. Shame, but understandable.

Karol

[Jay 37,287]

Karol, thanks so much for your excellent write-up, it was a pleasure to read.

Wow, all the changes made from the album versions to this concert suite sound incredible! I hope I get a chance to hear this somehow!

[Omen II 1,235]

There are a few photos of the concert and a brief report here:

http://life.royalalberthall.com/2013/10/danny-elfmans-music-from-the-films-of-tim-burton-7-october-2013/

[Jay 37,287]

Wow, Helena even dressed up as Sally!

[crocodile 7,984]

Karol, thanks so much for your excellent write-up, it was a pleasure to read.

Wow, all the changes made from the album versions to this concert suite sound incredible! I hope I get a chance to hear this somehow!

The show might have a much more extensive tour, as I said before. So you might get a chance. They didn't record this performance, because it was a first one and, in many ways, a trial run. But Richard Kraft mentioned something that they probably will somewhere further down the line. I'd like to have a CD/DVD or Blu-Ray combo release of this. Given that they can produce something as elaborate as the Burton/Elfman box and sell it a those prices, this kind of project seems quite likely.

I wish I could attend a Thursday performance in Birmingham (which is not far from here), but there's no way I can catch a return train/bus. I need to come back, you see. Can't stay overnight.

Karol

[Jay 37,287]

I am hopeful for it coming to Boston then. Right now I can't seem to find a single page that lists all the USA tour dates. Seems like each new announcement just gets its own page somewhere.

[Thor 7,471]

Pics from the event here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151916416816278.1073741831.530696277&type=1&l=3b03991f26

[Incanus 5,713]

And thank you again for sharing the photos of these events Thor! As a major Elfman fan you must have had a blast at the concert.