Film Music Reporter

Michael Giacchino conducting a suite from ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’

On Saturday night, film music label Varèse Sarabande hosted their 35th Anniversary Concert Gala at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California. The sold out concert was hosted and produced by Varese Sarabande’s Robert Townson and performed by the Golden State Pops Orchestra (GSPO) and Chorale. The event featured a special guest performance by Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer who performed a suite from Driving Miss Daisy on piano featuring Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger and violinist Ann Marie Calhoun. The suite also included a preview from the composer’s score for the upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel. Additionally, Academy Award-winner Michael Giacchino (Up) conducted the world premiere of a special suite from his score for Star Trek Into Darkness and John Powell (The Bourne Trilogy) conducted a suite from his Oscar-nominated score for Dreamworks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon. Also in attendance as a special guest was Danny Elfman. The finale of his first film score Pee Wee’s Big Adventure was performed by the GSPO and introduced by Richard Kraft, Elfman’s agent and Townson’s predecessor at Varese. In addition, Oscar-nominated composer John Debney (The Passion of the Christ) conducted the world premiere performance of a new version from the finale of his score for the animated feature The Ant Bully featuring lyrics by Lisbeth Scott, Brian Tyler (Iron Man 3) conducted the overture from his score for Aliens vs. Predators: Requiem and Joel McNeely (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) conducted a suite from his music for Iron Will. Also attending the concert was another Oscar nominee and Grammy winner, Mark Isham (A River Runs Through It) whose music for Dolphin Tale was featured on the evening’s program. Composer Christopher Lennertz (Revolution, Identity Thief) arranged and conducted a suite of soundtracks from sci-fi and fantasy films released on Varese, including such titles as Aliens (James Horner), The Matrix (Don Davis), The Iron Giant (Michael Kamen), Stargate (David Arnold) and Robocop (Basil Poledouris). Cliff Eidelman (Star Trek VI: The Voyage Home) who attended the recording sessions for the sports drama Rudy was selected to conduct a suite from Jerry Goldsmith’s score, Diego Navarro conducted the love theme from Townson’s own favorite film score Spartacus and Grammy nominee Austin Wintory (Journey) conducted a suite from Elmer Bernstein’s classic score for To Kill a Mockingbird. The night ended with a piece from Jerry Goldsmith’s score for The Final Conflict as a teaser for a second (Halloween-themed) concert celebrating the label’s 35th anniversary to take place on October 19, 2013. Among the other scores performed at the event and conducted by GSPO’s Steven Allen Fox were That Hamilton Woman (Miklos Rozsa), A Little Romance (Georges Delerue) and Shrek (Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell). Other composers who were in attendance at the event included Christopher Young, Don Davis, Sean Callery, Atli Orvarsson and Frederik Wiedmann.

From left to right: Christopher Lennertz, Mark Isham, Robert Townson, Cliff Eidelman, John Debney, Michael Giacchino, Austin Wintory, Diego Navarro

Following the concert, a VIP reception was held at the Art Deco Gallery, which hosted an exhibition of original score album art work by Bob Peak and Matthew Joseph Peak prior to the concert, with over 250 guests in attendance, including most of the composers who performed at the concert.