On December 28, 1895, thanks to the Lumière brothers Auguste and Louis, who screened around ten short films in the Salon Indien of the Grand Café in Paris, including the famous La sortie de l'usine Lumière ( Exit from the Lumière Factory ), cinema became not only a means of entertainment but also a vehicle for scientific knowledge, cultural expression, and philosophical reflection. A constant companion since the very beginning, music, which in the first silent films replaced words along with the famous posters that were interspersed between scenes, remained the undisputed protagonist even after the advent of sound, underscoring, accompanying, anticipating, and amplifying the film's images and words. Great composers have written for the seventh art, some of whom are featured in this concert, whose program celebrates over half a century of cinema history through some of the most famous and beloved soundtracks. The evening could only open with Alfred Newman's celebrated 20th Century Fanfare . Composed in 1933, this brief but dazzling piece, characterized by the roll of drums and the radiant blare of brass, has become the very symbol of Hollywood's golden age and, on this occasion, serves as a universal sonic curtain that prepares the viewer for the film or, in this case, for the other pieces on the program. The opening part of the concert will feature melodies written for the Indiana Jones saga , collected in a rich Super Indiana Medley by John Williams, a giant of film music and winner of no less than five Academy Awards for Best Original Score. Williams will also be featured on the program, including Harry Potter's Magical Tune , drawn primarily from the famous Hedwig's Theme , in which the composer evokes a fantastical world using the enchanting timbre of the celesta to introduce the listener to a mysterious, magical universe steeped in childlike wonder. From the magic of Harry Potter we move on to the equally immortal magic of the world of animation with Disney's Dream Wishing Medley , a true mosaic of songs that brings together the most famous themes born from the genius of various authors who have made the history of the house of Mickey Mouse. The pages of this selection are: Disney main theme , the theme song of Disney productions, Cruella De Vil , Bella Notte and Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?, taken respectively from the animated films 101 Dalmatians (1961), Lady and the Tramp (1955) and The Three Little Pigs.(1933). The profound bond between music and great Italian auteur cinema is inaugurated by the Nino Rota Suite . Known to the general public above all for his film scores, Nino Rota actually dedicated himself to all musical genres with the same commitment, composing around 150 works. Gifted with extraordinary talent, at the very precocious age of eight, after only one year of studying solfeggio, he was already able to fill music notebooks with drafts of symphonies and oratorios. The fact that he was born into a family of musicians certainly contributed to the precocious manifestation of his genius. His mother, an excellent pianist, was, in fact, the daughter of Giovanni Rinaldi, a late nineteenth-century composer who, together with other musicians, had attempted to counter the hegemony of melodrama in Italy by reevaluating instrumental music. Although he was a student of Pizzetti and Casella, and a great admirer of Stravinsky, whom he knew personally, Rota was a completely original composer in the twentieth-century panorama. Convinced that music should be an immediate and naive form of expression, he stayed away from the avant-garde, never arguing with its proponents, remaining faithful to a concept based on the primacy of melody and a clear tonal structure. In the film world, he made his mark with the stunning soundtracks he wrote for Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, and Francis Ford Coppola. This suite features excerpts from the soundtracks of Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968), Coppola's The Godfather (1972), and Fellini's 8½ . Following in this great tradition is Nicola Piovani, a multifaceted musician who has composed over two hundred scores for directors such as Federico Fellini, Marco Bellocchio, Mario Monicelli, the Taviani brothers, Nanni Moretti, and Roberto Benigni. Composed for Roberto Benigni's 1997 film Life Is Beautiful , the soundtrack, for which the composer won an Oscar in 1999, is a delicate and poignant commentary on the poetic film by the Tuscan actor and director. A multiple Oscar nominee, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and the Best Original Score Award in 2016 for The Hateful Eight , Ennio Morricone has scored over 400 films since 1961, the year of his debut with The Federal.by Luciano Salce. Morricone has written a fundamental chapter in international musical culture thanks to historic collaborations with directors such as Sergio Leone, Gillo Pontecorvo, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Giuliano Montaldo, Lina Wertmüller, Giuseppe Tornatore, Brian De Palma, Roman Polanski, Warren Beatty, Oliver Stone, and Pedro Almodóvar. With the soundtrack to Sergio Leone's film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Morricone reached the pinnacle of epic symphonic music applied to the Western, revolutionizing the genre by introducing ambient sounds, human screams imitating coyote calls, whistles, and electric guitars into the orchestra. A powerful digression into symphonic rock is represented by Queen's Medley , in which the British band's rousing hits, also celebrated in the cinema in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody , are reinterpreted in an orchestral key, highlighting the intrinsically theatrical nature of the compositions of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. The medley includes listening to Bohemian Rhapsody (1975), Bicycle Race (1978), We Are the Champions (1977), which was written by Freddie Mercury, and The Show Must Go On (1991), written by Queen but mainly credited to Brian May's ideation. The modern epic and digital sound textures of the 21st century are instead represented by Hans Zimmer, multiple Oscar winner for the films The Lion King (1995) and Dune (2022). In the film Gladiator ( 2000), directed by Ridley Scott, the German composer depicts ancient Rome through a muscular and dramatic score, where the pressing and martial rhythms alternate with the poignant lyricism of the famous final theme, Now We Are Free . The myth of the world's most famous secret agent lives on, however, in the James Bond Medley , which reworks the historic original theme by Monty Norman and John Barry together with the most iconic motifs of the saga. Characterized by an irresistible mix of jazz, scratchy brass and electric guitar riffs, the medley perfectly conveys that atmosphere of elegance, danger and suspense that distinguishes 007's style. The concert continues with the suite from Star Wars . Initially, George Lucas, the father of the famous film saga, had intended to include classical and operatic music in the 1977 film, following the model of what Stanley Kubrick did in 2001: A Space Odyssey.It was only at the suggestion of his friend and colleague Steven Spielberg that the director decided to entrust the task to John Williams. The composer chose the path of great late-Romantic symphony and made use of Wagner's technique of the leitmotif to musically characterize characters, people, and situations. The concert concludes with the overwhelming sounds created by Hans Zimmer for the Pirates of the Caribbean saga , the first three installments of which were conducted by Gore Verbinski. With its syncopated, compelling, and unstoppable three-quarter rhythm, the Medley evokes Jack Sparrow's pirate adventures of boardings, storms, and courage.

Colossal Time

Comune di Bolognetta

Anfiteatro Comunale

Mozart’s genius is on full display in his elegant and high-spirited Piano Concerto No. 9, and in the hands of Jan Lisiecki—recognized as one of today’s most astounding young talents—it promises pure magic. In his famous Enigma Variations, Elgar lovingly renders those nearest and dearest to him, creating a musical photo album filled with heartfelt warmth and profound emotional depth. The concerts open with romantic music from the 1939 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

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Mozart + Elgar’s Enigma Variations

Jones Hall

Concert tour Netherlands

Frits Philips Music Building

The Concertgebouw

Municipal Theater Nijmegen

TivoliVredenburg

Bohuslän Big Band and acclaimed jazz vocalist Isabella Lundgren take us on a musical journey through the golden age of Hollywood – a time when the silver screen sparkled with stars like Judy Garland, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, and film scores were penned by legendary composers such as Cole Porter and George Gershwin. This is music full of beauty, magic and joie de vivre.

Blue House Jazz – The Golden Age of Hollywood

Konserthuset Stockholm

Return to the worlds of your favourite films in this epic concert from Southbank Sinfonia. An ebullient brass fanfare announces the arrival of John Williams’ theme for Star Wars, before the orchestra takes a journey through the works of Bernard Hermann, Ennio Morricone, Joe Hisaishi, and more.

A Night At The Movies

St. John's Smith Square

Let’s get off our couch and go to the movies! At this exciting concert, we’ll play the classics like Lara’s Theme from Dr. Zhivago and Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and beautiful scores from newer Hollywood releases like the love theme from the Star Wars Prequels and the score from Angela’s Ashes. Don’t miss this finale to our year of FOMO concerts with a night of unforgettable music from the silver screen.

Hollywood

Washburn University

Join the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra for an unforgettable evening at the Numerica Performing Arts Center on November 4, 2023, as we present "Concert II: Hooray for Hollywood." This special concert celebrates the magic of movie music, featuring some of Hollywood's greatest composers and their unforgettable soundtracks that have captivated audiences around the world.

Experience the jazzy escapades of John Williams' music from "Catch Me If You Can," the electronic depth of Hans Zimmer's "Time" from "Inception," the whimsical tunes of Michael Giacchino from "Up," and the movie musical style of Justin Hurwitz for "La La Land." In addition to these modern masterpieces, the concert will also pay homage to the use of classical music in film, with works by legendary composers such as Richard Wagner, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Pietro Mascagni serving as aural backdrops in cinema.

The program includes a diverse range of music, from Alfred Newman's iconic 20th Century Fox Fanfare to Scott Bradley's memorable scores for "Tom and Jerry" at MGM, showcasing the orchestra's versatility and the wide-reaching influence of movie music. Special guest artist Kendra Wheeler will also be featured, adding an extra layer of excitement to the performance.

Don't miss this opportunity to relive the magic of the movies through their scores, which have become as iconic as the films themselves. Tickets are available now for this celebration of Hollywood's musical genius. Join us for an evening of great fun and unforgettable melodies that have shaped the cinematic experience.

Hooray for Hollywood!

Numerica Performing Arts Center

Enjoy an all-orchestral program with classic movie scores from Vertigo, King Kong, Psycho, Sunset Boulevard, and To Kill a Mockingbird.  Bob Bernhardt says that this is one of his favorite shows!

Alfred Newman

Events

Past events

11 - 12 Jul, 2026

Colossal Time · Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana

13 - 15 Mar, 2026

Mozart + Elgar’s Enigma Variations · Houston Symphony

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