A Tribute To Film Composers

This entry is entirely inspired by my recent attendance of La La Land in Concert at the Esplanade Theatre 2 weeks ago, a performance which had the amazing Justin Hurwitz himself conducting the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra.

So thank you, Justin, for spurring me to write. :)

( More details about the show in the second half of this post. )

I've probably waxed lyrical about movie music intermittently on my blog, but not in a dedicated post, which is a pity because it's been such an integral part of my life.

My earliest memories of beautiful soundtracks are Superman, Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, all scored by the greatest film composer of all time, John Williams.

I wasn't even old enough to attend school yet and already knew the themes by heart.

My mum started me on piano lessons at around the same time, which cemented my love for music, but I also realized that my strongest affinity was for film soundtracks - classical and otherwise.

Over the years, she introduced me to musicals as well - Rodgers & Hammerstein, Gigi, and stars like Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse.

I then discovered other film composers like John Barry ( Out of Africa, Dances With Wolves, Indecent Proposal ), Thomas Newman ( Scent of a Woman, American Beauty ), John Powell ( How To Train Your Dragon, the Jason Bourne series ), Hans Zimmer ( Gladiator, Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Inception ), Dario Marianelli ( Pride & Prejudice, Atonement ) and Alexandre Desplat ( The Painted Veil, Little Women ).

Let's not forget luminaries like Disney's Alan Menken, whose work on The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Tangled still move me tremendously.

In my 20s and 30s, I contemplated attending overseas concerts featuring a few of my favourite composers ( John Williams was at the top of the list ), but somehow the stars didn't align.

Hans Zimmer was in Singapore for an F1 race-related concert in 2019, but I didn't go because the venue wasn't optimal.

So my next best option was to attend movie-themed local concerts, mostly by the SSO Pops, Orchestra of the Music Makers and Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, at the Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands.

The John Williams 90th Birthday Concert Gala at MBS in July 2022 was a major highlight.

I also recall attending 2 consecutive performances by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra at the Esplanade maybe 10-15 years ago ( I went for both nights because they had completely different repertoires ). They were spectacular. :)

The above preamble is meant to illustrate my lifelong and very deep love for movie music, to give you a better understanding of how the La La Land in Concert experience affected me.

I was blown away by the film in December 2016 - you can read my review here.

I was definitely excited about Justin's presence at the show, but the event itself far exceeded my expectations.

As I listened to the soaring melodies, watching the scenes on the big screen as Justin waved his baton, the reality of being able to share this with the actual composer sank in.

It was a combination of surreal and poignant, and the feeling was completely overwhelming because this was the culmination of decades of what I would describe as a great passion for this genre, though sadly from afar.

That night, when I was able to personally witness the music's creator leading an orchestra on stage, that distance finally dissipated, resulting in an unprecedented level of euphoria. 

Justin's impressive list of accomplishments ( 4 Oscar nominations with 2 wins, 4 Golden Globe wins, 5 Grammy nominations with 2 wins ) and the sweeping-romantic-musical style of La La Land ( a personal favourite ) also heightened the intensity of the experience.

Hopefully, this won't be the only such concert I ever attend ( event organizers, please step up and bring more film composers to Singapore ), but it has the distinction of being the first, and the way my memory works, this will be branded into my brain cells forever. :)

Last but not least, I reiterate my immeasurable gratitude to Justin for doing meet-and-greets after every performance.

Although these aren't unique to Singapore, M&G decisions are entirely up to each artist, and in my personal opinion, anyone this famous who consciously and diligently does them deserves a medal.

On the final night of the concert series ( 3 shows in total ), I can imagine how exhausted he must have been ( don't forget the jet lag ). The line stretched from the foyer to the basement ( I know 'cos I deliberately chose to be last in the queue ), and took at least 90 minutes to clear.

Being a mature adult who's met my fair share of celebrities in various moods, I didn't expect him to be chatty, so I did most of the talking while he listened patiently and responded intermittently. He looked fatigued but never stopped smiling, so a big thumbs up for that!

I'm glad I was able to commission a custom made poster for him, thanks to the 3 months' advance notice since my ticket automatically included an M&G. Hope he likes it. :)

4 years ago when the whole world was in lockdown mode, I replaced my old piano and curated a collection of film music scores to play. Recently, I added selected pieces from La La Land to the set. It's a pasttime that really elevates my happy chemicals. 

The Hurwitz Concerts company replied to my comment on Instagram, promising to bring their shows back to Singapore ( yes!! ). On my wish list - that Justin will return to conduct music from all his movies. That would be truly awesome. 

This post is long overdue and cathartic! Thanks for reading and please leave a comment. :)