The lights dim, the audience quiets down and the brilliant stage at Royce Hall is lit up with giant, golden Oscar statuettes at each corner. In walks the Academy Symphony Orchestra, and the audience roars with excitement.
It was the first time the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had ever hosted a concert for the Oscar-nominated songs and scores, and on Thursday evening, film and music lovers alike turned out in large numbers for the event.
“How many times do you get to say you were a part of history?” said Common, host of the event, recording artist and actor. “Well, you get to say it tonight.”
The statement certainly stands true – the event was the first Oscar concert, and it also complements the 86th Academy Awards that will be hosted Sunday. In terms of musical nominees, “The Book Thief” is the 49th Oscar nomination for composer John Williams, the most Oscar-nominated person alive. “Her” is the first nomination for Arcade Fire’s William Butler and Owen Pallet, as is “Gravity” for Steven Price.
The program began with a rousing rendition of Jerry Goldsmith’s “Fanfare for Oscar,” conducted by Charles Fox, a governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Fox said he conducted “Fanfare” in honor of Goldsmith’s memory.
“While this concert is a celebration of the music, it is also a celebration of the motion pictures themselves,” Fox said in his opening speech.
The program emphasized how crucial music is to the essence of a motion picture by capturing the mood and message of a moment or a scene. The program alternated between performances of this year’s nominees for best original score and best original song. Accompanying each score performance was a montage of clips from each movie, providing some visual background and connection to the music.
Each composer conducted a selection of his original score, played by the Academy Symphony Orchestra. Composers nominated this year for best original score and featured at the concert were Williams, Butler and Pallett, Price, Alexandre Desplat for “Philomena” and Thomas Newman for “Saving Mr. Banks.”
Moderator Elvis Mitchell, a film critic, led panels with each composer. A standout moment was when he spoke with legendary songwriter Richard Sherman of the Sherman Brothers, known for their work in “Mary Poppins,” and other classic movies. The two talked about the film “Saving Mr. Banks,” which tells the story of the challenges in making “Mary Poppins” with relentless author P. L. Travers.
“Now, if you’ve seen ‘Saving Mr. Banks,’ you’ll know what we had to go through,” Sherman said.
Another crowd-pleasing performance was “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen” (music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez). Though sung by Idina Menzel in the film, the song was performed at the concert by writer Anderson-Lopez, accompanied by her husband Lopez on the piano.
“I’m not Idina Menzel … no one is. I’m a songwriter, which means I don’t have to be perfect, and I just have to let it go,” Anderson-Lopez said.
The other songs nominated for best original song and featured in the concert were “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2” (music and lyrics by Pharrell Williams), “The Moon Song” from “Her” (music by Karen O; lyrics by Karen O and Spike Jonze) and “Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” (music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Muller; lyrics by Paul Hewson).
The concert left the audience at the edge of its seat, expectant and eager for the big day. We can only wait and see who the big winners will be come Oscar Sunday.