When I was a very young girl, I had an affinity for films and books of folklore and fantasy. Alice in Wonderland, The Neverending Story, The Last Unicorn, and Labrinth were among some of my favorites. As I grew into a teenager, this did not change; however, the folklore I admired the took on a decidedly darker tone. It likely began with Jim Henson's brilliant film, The Dark Crystal.
The eighties and nineties were a wonderful time when creativity was prevalent and ran rampant. Rock stars of the day attempted to outdo themselves (and each other) with imaginative music videos, one more artistic than the next. It was an exciting time. A music video became an artistic statement. This was no different with films. One could easily decipher who a director of a film was simply by regarding its tone and cinematography. Of the directors at that time, one of the most recognizable is Tim Burton. Although his full-film directorial debut Pee Wee's Big Adventure was a comedy with no shortage of levity, there clearly were elements of the macabre, which would become his signature.
I became a fan of Burton's films immediately. They were whimsical, humorous (albeit macabre), imaginative, and like nothing anyone had seen before. What also drew me into the films were their wonderful sound.
Just as you could immediately recognize a Tim Burton film via the way it looked, you could also do the same by listening. To me, those films would not be anything without the wonderful scores of Danny Elfman; the sound of a Tim Burton film became even more apparent than its appearance. Mr. Elfman has done a brilliant job of meshing mystical and dark in a whimsical way, which epitomizes the spirit of a Burton film. The collaborating of these two artists could be called bashert. In the eighties, Elfman was the lead singer of the new wave band Oingo Boingo, a band at the time known for their spirited "Dead Man's Party" Halloween shows each year.
I had the wonderful opportunity yesterday to attend the concert featuring all of Elfman's music from Burton's films at Nokia in Los Angeles. The concert series, a three-day performance Halloween weekend (isn't that perfection?), was just spectacular.
The concert included a montage of music, short excerpts from the actual films, mixed with the original storyboard art by Burton himself. The concert was conducted by John Mauceri, and I was just excited to be there. Little did I know how special this evening would be.
For starters, there was the incredible fact that our seats had been upgraded! We had purchased seats for my husband, myself, and each of our five children; deciding to not buy the cheapest, but not the most expensive, either. I was elated to find that we had been upgraded to orchestra....could one ask for more!!?
Next, was the amazing artwork. I was not aware when I purchased these tickets that we would get to see the actual storyboard art created by Tim Burton. It was truly something to see the artistic inception that would become his endearing characters!
The performance included music from the films Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow, Mars Attacks!, Big Fish, Batman and Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Dark Shadows, Frankenweenie, Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland, and of course, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The musicians were spectacular (Mr. Elfman stated these were the same he'd worked with on the films for twenty plus years now), and included a full choir. At the end of the night, guests were honored with an appearance of Mr. Elfman himself, as he performed "Jack's Lament" from the film The Nightmare Before Christmas. To see a video of the performance, you may do so here. There was also an appearance by actress Catherine O'Hara, who plays Sally in the film. She performed a haunting rendition of "Sally's Song." To see the clip, click here. Fans were also graced with a spirited rendition of "This is Halloween," sung by several original cast members, including Elfman, and O'Hara.
It was a night to remember, as fans came dressed in full Burton-esque regalia...all paying homage to this fabulous meeting of two very creative minds.
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