BY BEN NIELSEN
Danny Elfman: Music from the Films of Tim Burton
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Opera House, 11 July
What comes to mind when you think about Tim Burton?
Perhaps his characteristic dark whimsy or his cinematic love affair with Johnny Depp? What about his 30-year creative partnership with composer Danny Elfman?
Elfman and Burton have been creating kooky, dark and extravagant cinema ever since their career-defining 1985 film ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’. It’s no wonder the relationship has lasted so long (and even withstood a brief rift post-‘Batman Returns’): Elfman’s music is the sonic embodiment of Burton’s films.
The concert celebration of Elfman’s music was a major draw-card of this year’s Adelaide Festival. At that performance, Grammy-winning conductor John Mauceri led the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and Elfman himself made a cameo appearance as Jack Skellington and Mr Oogie Boogie from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’.
Neither Elfman nor Mauceri made an appearance in Sydney, but the Sydney Symphony Orchestra hardly needed star-power to shine. It was led by Scott Dunn, another conductor direct from the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and accompanied by the 50-piece Vox (the young adult ensemble of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs), boy soprano Paolo Lieghio and theremin-extraordinaire Justin Sun.
The program comprised 15 Elfman scores from 15 Burton films. It might have seemed like a jukebox-style program, but each work shares the same zany trademark of the composer. In fact, when the scores are played abreast, the ‘Elfman sound’ actually becomes a bit repetitive.
With eyes shut, it would be very difficult to distinguish between the end of ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’ and the start of ‘Beetlejuice’, or between the ballads of ‘Corpse Bride’ and those of ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’.
It’s not just the musical style; Elfman markedly uses the same formula in his instrumentation (especially the piano, percussion and the melismatic ‘ooh’ of the choir) and timbre (often a single instrument with the melody above churning strings). The reason for this, no doubt, is that Elfman serves a particular aesthetic and a niche body of work.
Luckily, amongst the silliness of ‘Pee-wee’ and the epic themes of ‘Batman and Batman Returns’, there was the warm relief of the pastoral ‘Big Fish’. These are recognisable themes of cult status.
As the orchestra played, snippets of the Burton films interspersed with his original sketches were projected onto a screen at the back of the stage. The visuals were sometimes haphazardly curated and poorly synced to the music; a disappointment considering the two elements are so closely intertwined (in an artistic sense and in relation to the storytelling rationale).
The music was received by diehard audience members with cheers and applause; a response not solely in appreciation of the memorable scenes evoked by the music, but also the talent required to play Elfman’s devilishly difficult scores.
Image supplied.
