1.21 gigawatts of orchestral power
(out of 4) The Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Back to the Future with a live orchestra. Roy Thomson Hall. tso.ca
“You built a time machine out of a DeLorean?” In this case, it was a time machine built out of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, which generated the 1.21 gigawatts required to spark the flux capacitor into action and blast us back to the summer of 1985.
Although the Hollywood blockbuster Back to the Future may not be considered the towering masterpiece of the 20th century, it epitomized the 1980s and established the film as an instant cult classic.
As a refresher, the plot centres on the plight of Marty McFly, a teenager sent back in time to 1955, where he meets his future parents and his mother falls in love with him. He makes his way back to 1985 with the help of the eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett (Doc) Brown.
From my upper-balcony vantage point, I was surrounded by a pack of Back to the Future retro nerds wearing graphic tees featuring McFly’s signature orange puffy jacket — which, when ported back to 1955, looked like a life-preserver. (“Hey, Biff. Get a load of this guy’s life preserver. Dork thinks he’s gonna drown!”) One fan even brought along a hoverboard. TSO CEO Jeff Melanson made his customary address to the nearly sold-out crowd and asked for a show of hands, how many had never been to a TSO performance before. Nearly half of the audience rose their hands. What was astonishing was not only the number of new people but the sense of welcomeness for them.
“I know you will all be back,” Melanson joked. “I know because I took a trip into the future with the DeLorean parked out front and saw you all there.”
With greasy fists full of popcorn, the audience slouched into their seats under Roy Thomson Hall’s 10.5tonne crescent-shaped Oculus to hear pops conductor Steven Reineke and the TSO breath new life into the film. The performance included 20 minutes of extra music from Alan Silvestri’s original motion picture score. Lush and full of optimism, the soundtrack was originally scored for a 98-piece orchestra and represents the largest-ever instrumental ensemble for a movie by Universal Pictures.
Synchronizing a live orchestra with a film is no easy task, but Reineke held court with a go-to tempo that stayed the course. Push too much and the text becomes a labour to hear. Push too little and the lack of emotive power from the music deflates the characters by extension. Reineke captured the slippery equilibrium with grace and an ear for balance.
If I were a betting man, and I am, I’d wager the TSO’s new live-film music series will help attract a new generation of TSO fans.
The under-40 golden ticket has arrived, hoverboards and all.
Next up is Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller, Psycho, on Oct 31.