Peaches and tears
CC:Concepts’ ‘Call Me By Your Name In Concert’ pretty much had everyone bawling even before it ended.
There are few films that are as heartbreaking, as tender, and as queer as Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By
Your Name. But when you screen that movie with a live orchestra, each and every emotion you felt while watching this film will be magnified by a factor of 10. I wish I were joking, but you could hear people bawling while this all happened. Last Oct. 28, production company CC:Concepts mounted the world premiere of “Call Me By Your Name In Concert” at Samsung Hall in SM Aura, Taguig.
From when we first heard this was happening up until the day before the screening, you would think you’d know what to expect from a live orchestra playing the soundtrack of CMBYN, but it was so much more than just getting overwhelmed with emotions. There were a lot of emotions, don’t get me wrong, but there were also a lot of little things that the experience was able to elevate from just watching the film in the cinema.
But first, if you were wondering how this was all going to work, the version of the film they played basically had the music stripped out, save for the diegetic sounds, like The Psychedelic Furs’ Love My Way in that scene where they all dance and flirt with each other. Here, the orchestra added a new layer of music to the song, creating an even richer scene.
The orchestra also took liberties with adding music in scenes that previously did not have any accompaniment, like the infamous peach scene with Elio in the attic. It was a little heavy-handed at times, but nevertheless added something new to the experience of watching the film.
One thing that remains, however, is that no matter which way you watch it, Call Me By Your
Name never fails to conjure tears, even if you’ve seen it more than a couple of times (no judgment, because same). All things considered, it’s worth noting that this is the first of its kind in Asia, and was definitely worth the pain of sitting in Samsung Hall’s built-in, rather uncomfortable seats. And did I mention there was wine that you could bring in to the theater? There seems to be talk of mounting another film concert soon, and honestly, we can’t wait.
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For more information, follow @cc.concepts.ph on Instagram and check out #CMBYNINConcert and #CCConceptsPH on social media.