I just went to the charming, 4th-biggest-city-in-NZ, outdoor, night-
time orchestral performance orchestrated by the Hamilton Garden Arts
Festival. Their internet presence is not worth entertaining, so no
link. It was the Rusty Player Orchestra conducted by Rupert D'Cruze.
The schedule reads like other flamboyant or slightly weird orchestr
al music (and unrelated) hung on the premise of some Tchaikovsky wit
h the intriguing 1812 overture billed to end in fireworks.
I give the orchestra and conductor As (of ambiguous signum) for thei
r performance. Sadly, that's not a good description of the otherwise
charmingly just-barely-rural event. The content,
The Magnificent Seven - E.Bernstein
Chariots of Fire - Vangelis
Light Cavalry Overture - Suppe
This is Me - theme from The Greatest Showman
The Big Country - J.Moss
Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky
Can Can (Orpheus) - Offenbach
Finlandia - Sibelius
Ritual Fire Dance - de Falla
Superman Returns - Williams/Ottman
Jupiter (Planets Suite) - Holst
Hallelujah - Cohen arr Justus Rozemond
1812 Overture finale - Tchaikovsky
had me grapple with the clear reality that movie themes, which get g
aspingly called our time's contribution to great music are cheap and
tawdry when put next to even a controversial legendary romantic com
posor.
Here I must house an unfortunate interjection. The first MC of the n
ight seemed promising and kiwi-as, reminding us of the names of the
sponsors and to use the recycling bins before abrogating himself in
leiu of a second MC whose time seemed mercifully short until the kin
dergarten teacher MC took the stage. The orchestra's stage was nicel
y placed for the whole audience at the lower part of the gently slop
ing Rhododendron lawn in Hamilton City Gardens. Their stage was fain
tly set with slightly pink stars above the musicians, who were handi
ly lit. To the right, a massive white-barked tree was given a color
gradient: It worked surprisingly well. Unfortunately, to the left a
temporary projector screen had been set up, which robotically flippe
d between close-ups of different musicians, showing that they were i
n fact very shabbily dressed - intending to be heard, rather than se
en that night. The screen naturally segued into garish yellow-light-
studded carnival food stands.
"Do you like movies?" shrilled the kindergarten teacher.
The Magnificent Seven theme
When cut as a trophy from the movie scene of the time and mounted as
a starting piece here, I was reminded how much the words cliche, ch
eap and epic have in common. It certainly sounded like a show openin
g with the theme from The Magnificent Seven.
Chariots of Fire theme
An orchestra playing a recognisable theme like an uncommonly skilled
friend humming a few bars to remind you how that movie's theme goes
