I subscribe to a Pop Series at the Austin Symphony Orchestra and the final show in that series this season was a concert featuring music from my favorite film composer, Jerry Goldsmith. I looked forward to this evening all year long and it did not disappoint. 

The opening of the concert was a fanfare, like you might get from one of the Major Studios at the start of their films. I’m not sure, but I think it might have been the fanfare written by Goldsmith for the Oscars. It was not credited in the show notes, but I do have a link for you if you want to hear it.

The Opening piece was from the Science Fiction film “Total Recall”. It uses some non-traditional instruments, which was typical for Goldsmith. It sounds a little like a Basil Poledouris piece.  

It is a powerful and driving theme that fits with an Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Loud and Bombastic with some banging percussion that gets you in the mood for spy games on Mars.

Long before I knew his name, Jerry Goldsmith had scored films that in my youth I saw on television. “The Blue Max” with George Peppard is a WWI flying movie about a German Pilot. seeking to become an Ace while also having a love affair with his commanding officer’s wife. The flying sequences are quite good.

As the program went through each selection, Robert Faries, a writer, actor and dirctor from the Austin Arts community, introduced each piece with a little history and background on the film and how Goldsmith’s work was used. His information was enlightening and enhanced the music selections greatly.

There was a medley of motion picture themes that were strung together in an effortless manner that made the styles that Goldsmith worked in seem incredibly vast. This included pieces from “The Sand Pebbles”, “Chinatown”, “Air Force One”, “A Patch of Blue”, “Poltergeist”, “Papillion”, “Basic Instinct” and my favorite Goldsmith work, “The Wind and the Lion”.

The first half of the evenings program finished with a suite of music from “Gremlins”. I mentioned it in a couple of posts in the past, “Gremlins” was the inspiration for me to write the only fan letter I ever composed. I sent it to him at Warner Brothers. I have no idea if it ever reached it’s target but I am pleased to remember that I did reach out to this music giant when his work moved me. 

After the intermission, we quickly dove back into some great science fiction music from “Capricorn One”.

Goldsmith always tried to find the contrasting themes to the characters and scenes that the movies he wrote for presented. “First Blood” certainly needed action music, but there is a contemplative theme that permeates the movie. The show notes say “Rambo: First Blood II” but the tune is from the first film, this is an instrumental version of the theme song sung by Dan Hill.

Goldsmith and “Alien” director Ridley Scott did not agree on the tome for the theme of the film. Goldsmith reworked it to the satisfaction of Scott, but as Robert Faires explained, there were also old themes from previous Goldsmith compositions that got used as temp tracks and then stayed in the picture. Regardless of the controversy, the end title music is used in several spots in the film, it is a Goldsmith classic. 

Many people will know Jerry Goldsmith because of his connection to “Star Trek”. He composed the music for “Star Trek The Motion Picture” and the theme became the theme for the television series “Star Trek The Next Generation”. He subsequently scored a few more of the Star Trek Films and TV Shows.

The encore consisted of two themes from movies about American Heroes of WWII. I have never seen MacArthur, but “Patton” is the film that made me fall in love with Goldsmith’s music. A Fitting end to the show.