PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA PERFORMS PIXAR TUNES
SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Music lovers and animation enthusiasts alike gathered at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) over the weekend to spend their Saturday night with some of the most beloved characters of the big screen.
As a special part of the The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2015 summer residency at SPAC, the famed classical music group included a night of tunes from popular Pixar movies into its annual series. The event was called Pixar in Concert.
Children, parents, grandparents and twenty- somethings that grew up with the films were enamored by the combination of live orchestra music played to some of their favorite scenes from the animated movies.
The show started with a medley of Woody and Buzz, the stars of “Toy Story,” which was Pixar’s first feature film, released in 1995.
Conductor-in-residence Cristian Macelaru spoke to the audience about how combining the Philadelphia Orchestra and Pixar creates a “beautiful marriage” between the two art forms. Conducting this music on stage, he said, makes him feel like “the coolest dad.”
The performance then brought show-goers on a trip through the animal kingdom, playing music from “Finding Nemo,” “Ratatouille” and “A Bug’s Life.” Exciting and touching scenes from each movie sparked audible reactions from audience members young and old.
In the machine-themed portion of the concert, patrons enjoyed a romantic robot scene from “Wall-E,” Woody’s makeover from “Toy Story 2” and thrilling races from “Cars,” all paired with the perfectly matching sounds of the orchestra below.
Mr. Fredricksen from Pixar’s “Up” and the orchestra’s string section, tugged on some heartstrings with an emotional collection of scenes from the 2009 feature film.
After intermission the orchestra went into superhero mode with The Incredibles, followed by some jazzy numbers from “Monsters Inc.,” more fast-tempo tunes from “Cars 2,” a bombastic bit with the red headed Scottish princess from “Brave,” without skipping over “Toy Story 3” and the sequel to “Monsters Inc.: Monsters University.”
The conductor remarked on Pixar’s progression over the past few decades, and the quality of the music that accompanies the films. “It really is world class music,” he said, mentioning that he’s excited to learn and conduct songs from Pixar’s latest release “Inside Out.” “It just feels like they’re getting better and better,” he said.
Furthermore, Macelaru believes that Pixar’s storytelling abilities, and the consequent popularity of the movies, are enhanced by the music. Though even movie buffs may not know or recognize the songs’ titles or composers, without them, “I don’t think we could have the same experience,” Macelaru said.
The night finished out with an encore of the most memorable Pixar tune “You’ve Got A Friend In Me,” from “Toy Story,” along with a medley of cheerful scenes from all of the Pixar movies.
“Pixar in Concert was a wonderful evening for friends and families,” said Ballston Spa resident Alicia Behan, who attended with a group of friends from college. “I love it,” she continued, sharing that the songs from “Up,” “Toy Story” and “Wall-E” were her favorite parts of the program.