Three film music celebrations
John Wilson celebrates the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals
The first of three Proms celebrating great film music is a concert of blockbuster soundtracks from iconic movies including James Bond, Star Wars and Harry Potter, given by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Concert Orchestra under Keith Lockhart with violinist Chloë Hanslip. Broadcast as live on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Four, it features the music of William Walton (Henry V), John Williams (Star Wars, Schindler's List and Harry Potter) and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood (Norwegian Wood). The 75th birthday of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett is marked with a performance of music from Murder On The Orient Express, while tribute is also paid to the late John Barry with his theme for Out Of Africa and a selection of music from the James Bond films. Other highlights include music by Bernard Herrmann including his terrifying Psycho soundtrack and music from Ennio Morricone's Cinema Paradiso ().
The inventive Spaghetti Western Orchestra continues the film theme that evening with its own unique take on the music of the Westerns, bringing a second helping of Ennio Morricone, interpreted in a way only these five multi-tasking musicians can. The distinctive Australian quintet plays on more than 100 instruments – if you can call asthma inhalers, cereal packets and other unlikely objects "instruments" ().
John Wilson and his orchestra bring another eagerly awaited celebration of music from the movies, to be recorded for broadcast on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Two. Hooray For Hollywood explores the Golden Age of the big-screen soundtracks from the Thirties to the Sixties. Joining him to recreate the cinematic magic of Hollywood is a line-up of major musical stars paying tribute to Hollywood greats such as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. John Wilson and his hand-picked orchestra have created some of the most memorable Proms of recent years, celebrating MGM musicals (2009) and Rodgers and Hammerstein (2010). Their contribution in 2011 promises to be no less spectacular ().
