Back to the Future is a timeless movie series with a dedicated following of fans, and its musical score is just as memorable as the films. So it was no surprise to hear that Victoria Symphony, as a part of their Films in Concert series, decided to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of the first Back to the Future by performing the score live in concert.
When I first heard of this, I thought that it was simply an orchestral performance of the soundtrack, but in reality it was more wondrous than that. On Wednesday, March 11 and Thursday, March 12, audience members flocked to the regal Royal Theatre, where the actual movie was playing on the big screen. With some editing trickery, the original score had been removed from the film, and the Victoria Symphony performed it live as the movie played.
This concept has been done before, but it was the first I had experienced it; it was fascinating to see how the score was adapted for a live audience. Most of the material was completely faithful to the originals, but additional music was added for build-up, transition, and immersion to make the live production that much more captivating.
As one would expect from a live performance, this rendition of the soundtrack was fuller and more visceral, and it was exciting to see performers create in real time the music I remember from my childhood, especially since they were exceptional at timing it exactly to the film.
However, while the soundtrack of Back to the Future is iconic and gripping, when it comes down to it, it’s really the theme that most people remember so fondly. During the actual film, there is relatively little score, aside from occasional ambience and short stings or phrases to punctuate the story. Much of the soundtrack is licensed music by Huey Lewis and the News and others, which the orchestra did not recreate, and still more of the film has no musical backing whatsoever.
The end result of this is that there were great swaths where the orchestra sat still and quiet, and for all intents and purposes, we were just watching a movie in the theatre. Even when they were playing, it was easy to forget that it was live, because it was so well done it fooled my brain into believing it was just a part of the movie.
This is truly a testament to how skillfully the music was adapted, performed, and timed, but with how little music there actually was, I couldn’t help but wonder if Back to the Future was a poor choice for a feature like this. I think about Disney’s Fantasia and other films where the orchestral music is a larger, more continuous part of the feature, and this kind of live score performance seems natural in that case.
Regardless, it was exceptionally well produced and performed, and it was a joy to experience. This is part of a larger series that has produced live orchestral performances scoring films such as E.T. and Star Wars, which may well be better fits for the format. Still, if you’re a fan of older movies with scores by legends such as Alan Silvestri and John Williams, you’re not likely to be disappointed.