FMS FEATURE ["Under Fire": American Youth Symphony Salutes Jerry Goldsmith

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FMS FEATURE...

March 2, 2011
Under Fire: American Youth Symphony Salutes Jerry Goldsmith
Symposium and concert are third in a series devoted to esteemed film composer's contributions by Marilee Bradford

WESTWOOD, Calif.—The American Youth Symphony will conclude its three-year exploration of the music of Jerry Goldsmith with a symposium and concert on Sunday, March 13, at Royce Hall on the Westwood campus of UCLA.

The symposium, which begins at 4 p.m., is co-sponsored by The Film Music Society and will feature five of the Oscar-winning composer's friends and colleagues in conversation with Variety writer and film-music historian Jon Burlingame: directors Joe Dante (Gremlins, Innerspace) and David Anspaugh (Hoosiers, Rudy), music editor Kenneth Hall, music mixer Bruce Botnick and agent Richard Kraft.

In addition, rare footage of Goldsmith conducting will be screened, and composer David Newman will conduct the American Youth Symphony in 10 minutes of music from Goldsmith's Oscar-nominated 1983 score for Under Fire.

At 7 p.m. that evening, the AYS concert will open with the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, conducted by Newman and featuring AYS music director Alexander Treger as soloist. The second half of the concert, also conducted by Newman, will be entirely devoted to Goldsmith's music from the 1980s and 1990s, including First Blood (1982) and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983); newly assembled suites from Poltergeist (1982) and Basic Instinct (1992); and the entire six-minute finale from Rudy (1993).

David Newman conducts the American Youth Symphony

In addition, Newman will conduct a seven-minute sequence from Legend, Goldsmith's composer's famously rejected score from the 1985 Ridley Scott film. The "dress waltz" sequence – newly restored by Newman from the composer's original, recently discovered sketches – will be performed live to film.

Goldsmith, one of the film world's most respected composers, died in 2004. This is the third and final year of the AYS's "Goldsmith Project," which has featured symposia and concerts each year, including newly assembled and performed suites of Goldsmith film and television scores.

Both events are free to the public, although tickets for the evening performance must be obtained in advance. Visit www.aysymphony.org for more information.

©2011 Marilee Bradford