Film Scores Gain New Life on Stage, Drawing Audiences Out

The music of cinema is increasingly moving from the screen to the stage, with a growing number of opportunities for audiences to experience it live. In November, the "Soundtracks LIVE" series at Beit HaMekorot in Jaffa Port will feature the Blues & Buzz ensemble hosting musicians for live performances of songs from films like "The Blues Brothers," "Forrest Gump," and "Into the Wild," alongside a tribute to Quentin Tarantino's film scores. The Tel Aviv Cinematheque will host a Soundtrack Festival at the end of the month, dedicated to the intersection of film and music. These events join the success of film screenings accompanied by live orchestras, which have become popular attractions, featuring films such as "Star Wars" and "The Princess Bride" performed by the Israeli Philharmonic. The Revolution Orchestra's new season will include an orchestral accompaniment to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," following its performances with classics like Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" and "The Gold Rush." These diverse events highlight music becoming an attraction in its own right, a phenomenon that is expanding internationally and prompting a re-examination of the relationship between film and music.

This resurgence of live music performances is a return to cinema's roots. In early cinemas showing silent films, pianists and musicians accompanied screenings, while larger venues had full orchestras. With the advent of recorded soundtracks in the late 1920s, live musicians were largely replaced, leading to job losses. Today, advanced synchronization technologies are enabling orchestras to return to theaters, with audiences willing to pay a premium for these enhanced experiences, similar to how elevator operators became symbols of luxury after automatic elevators emerged.

The popularity of these shows stems from film music's ability to endure beyond the movie itself, often carrying significant emotional weight. These scores can become complete experiences due to strong melodies, unique soundscapes, or dramatic structures that resonate independently of the visuals. The emotional charge is amplified by the visual memories and personal experiences associated with the film.

Conversely, films can also revitalize pre-existing music. Quentin Tarantino, for instance, integrated songs like "Stuck in the Middle with You" and "Misirlou" into cultural memory, though they were not originally written for his films. "The Blues Brothers" showcased soul and R&B traditions, while Eddie Vedder created a distinct musical identity for "Into the Wild" that stands alone. These examples demonstrate cinema's power to preserve, rediscover, or imbue music with new meaning, carrying this accumulated charge back to the stage.

Composer John Williams was a pioneer of the modern live orchestral film screening format. His 2002 performance with a 100-piece orchestra for "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" marked a milestone for an international industry that now draws millions. This trend benefits rights holders by providing new revenue streams for older films and helps orchestras attract new audiences. Film composers themselves are becoming stars, with Hans Zimmer boasting around 14 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and others like Williams, Danny Elfman, and Ludwig Göransson also having millions of listeners. Göransson's score for "Oppenheimer" has garnered over half a billion streams, and Zimmer's concerts, selling out large venues, demonstrate the emotional power of his music even without visuals.

Musicologist Frank Lehman's concept of "Cinematic Listening" describes how music can evoke images and events without the film. Listening to Hans Zimmer's "Time" from "Inception," for example, can lend a sense of significant progression to everyday activities like walking down the street. This allows soundtracks from fictional worlds to become soundtracks for our own lives, offering a renewed encounter with cinema where familiar music and films might reveal something new about themselves or us.