After being canceled in 2020, then in 2021, the edition of Ciné Notes on the theme Monsters and Creatures is inevitably eagerly awaited at the Opéra de Bordeaux. It is to take place this year from March 7 to 22. Several highlights are scheduled at the Auditorium and at partner sites, including a movie-concert of Steven Spielberg’s film ET, the extra-terrestrialand a symphonic concert that will take us to explore the worlds of Sea teethof Dracula or of Fly. With the red thread, the essential American composer John Williams. Benoît Daldin, artistic director of the festival, tells us about it.
By choosing this theme “Monsters and Creatures”, we realize that the composer John Williams is omnipresent in the music of fantastic films…
John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith are the two major composers of American genre cinema. Williams had a crazy career, and he became an icon, like an American pop star, thanks to his film scores. But he also has recognition from the classical world, he now directs the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic, that is to say the greatest orchestras in the world that the greatest conductors dream of directing. He succeeded where many have failed, that is to say, to pass his film music in concert, and to make his symphonic suites suites that are played everywhere. All the orchestras in the world have played the suites of Star Wars…
And he still composes…
Yes, since he announced that he would write the music forIndiana Jones 5, as well as another Spielberg film. He also announced that he would write the music for the series. Obi-Wan Kenobi [prévue en mai sur Disney +]. He has at least those three projects going on as he just turned 90.
Why does he like it so much?
He is a genius melodist, but he also has a science of the visual. He’s someone who adapts his style of writing to the films he has to illustrate. In concert, this gives giant contrasts between the music ofCatch Me If You Canrather jazzy, and Star Wars with its great gripping Wagner themes, or Encounter of the Third Kind which is contemporary music that is almost hard to listen to.
Why did you choose “ET” for the film-concert of the festival? Is it his most emblematic work?
It is one of his most emblematic works. But it is above all one of the best music by John Williams for a concert, because 90% of the film is covered by the music. So there is almost no time in the evening when the orchestra is not playing. For a movie-concert, it’s ideal. The last fifteen minutes ofAND, are a single piece of music that is not cut. It is extremely rare in the cinema. He wrote this last piece while watching the film, but since he had a little trouble finding exactly the moment in the scene where the music should change tempo, it was finally Spielberg who decided to bring up the end ofAND. on the music.
So it’s better to see “ET” in a cine-concert than “Star Wars” or “Jaws”?
For this edition of Ciné Notes, it has been estimated that AND was more relevant to the theme, Monsters and Creaturesand that the nice monster aspect had a family side that does not have Jaws for example. And if we take Jurassic Park, there are times without music. Let’s not forget that people come to see a concert first, so if it’s to have an orchestra that only plays one hour out of two hours of film, it doesn’t really matter. AND tick all the boxes.
The other highlight of the festival will be the symphonic concert, in which we will still find John Williams, unmissable?
With Diego Navarro, the conductor, we looked for the most beautiful scores for this theme, and there is necessarily John Williams, yes, but also Jerry Goldsmith with star trek and The Planet of the Apes. We will also do the music for Dracula, Fly, frankenstein… And we will explore French cinema, notably with Philippe Sarde.
Ciné Notes Festival, from March 7 to 22 in Bordeaux. The cine-concert will take place at the Auditorium on Friday March 11 at 8 p.m. and Sunday March 13 at 3 p.m. (from 8 euros to 35 euros, film in VOST) and the symphony concert on Thursday March 17 and Friday 8 euro to 35 euro). Reservations on opera-bordeaux.com