Programme of popular film music
King Kong is the film credited as the first to have music on a sound track synchronising with the action on screen, the composer being Max Steiner. Music and film went together much earlier than that, using live musicians in the cinema. The aim was to drown the sound of the projector, which audiences found irritating. Curiously, the first ‘talkies’ had no music because producers reckoned the talking was enough to steer attention away from the machinery.
What a lot has changed since then. It’s hard to imagine a film without music, and many great composers, from Prokofiev to Britten, have been drawn in. Although specialists in film music are less well known (apart from John Williams), their music is adored and the CCSO presents two concerts in one day, both consisting of nothing but that. The first concert, 4.30—5.30 p.m, is for children aged four upwards, who may wish to come dressed as their favourite film character: a pirate, Robin Hood, a hobbit perhaps. And the music? It will come from Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and lots more.
Every child or group of children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.