Many individuals have tried to transition from popular music genres to composing movie scores, but few have done so well and prolifically as Danny Elfman. From his start in Oingo Boingo to his regular collaborations with Tim Burton, Elfman has shown a significant capacity for whimsical, creative, and haunting themes.
His most recognizable song over his four decades of scores for over 100 movies is the theme from Batman. Epic in scope, the powerful but smooth brass portrays darkness, depth, and heroism in a way no other superhero movie has matched.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center screened Batman the 35th Anniversary, this evening with the New Jersey Symphony performing the score live. Hearing such a piece and score live is not something I like to miss, so we grabbed the family and some friends to relive a bit of nostalgia and musical brilliance.
Batman was in attendance in costume, along with the Batmaro, fun photo opportunity for fans to get some pictures for their social media feeds. The rainy backdrop of Newark added to the ambiance of the photo shoot.
The symphony proved up to the task. The horn section tonight played incredibly well, which was necessary as they are featured prominently in most of the exciting pieces.
The conductor and orchestra played right on the cues with the symphony throughout the night, which has not always been the case at live music during movie performances we have seen.
The sound tech group seemed to raise the volume of the movie a few minutes in, which put it out of balance with some of the orchestral sound effects; I would have enjoyed more orchestral emphasis.
There are more orchestral movie nights to come at NJPAC. If you would like to enjoy an immersive and improved soundscape to regular surround sound for a favorite movie, check out one of these performances.
*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own*
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