Music Review: LA Philharmonic Edinburgh Festival Opening Event, Tynecastle Park

“This music is the identity of a place that is Hollywood.” Words spoken by Gustavo Dudamel, the charismatic musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as last night’s Festival opener – a translation of the orchestra’s famous Hollywood Bowl film music blockbusters to the home of Hearts Football Club – reached its hottest moments.
By KEN WALTON
Published 4th Aug 2019, 16:20 GMT
Updated 4th Aug 2019, 17:20 GMT
Tynecastle Park welcomed a little Hollywood magic for last night's Festival opener. Picture: Alistair LinfordTynecastle Park welcomed a little Hollywood magic for last night's Festival opener. Picture: Alistair Linford
Tynecastle Park welcomed a little Hollywood magic for last night's Festival opener. Picture: Alistair Linford

Aberdeen Standard Investments Opening Event: LA Phil at Tynecastle
Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh
****


This was the first of several concerts by the 100-year-old orchestra this weekend. It was also one that inevitably drew thousands to the Tynecastle terraces, along with the encircling seagulls that shrieked and swooped in instinctive counterpoint to some of Hollywood’s most iconic scores. Luckily the theme for Hitchcock’s The Birds wasn’t among them.

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Yes, we did get some Hitchcock, in the form of Herrmann’s gorgeous Suite from Vertigo, lusciously played by the LA strings, aided by an effective sound system that really captured the heat of the music. Other classic scores from Steiner (his Casablanca Suite with its brilliant contortions of La Marseillaise), Korngold (Robin Hood), Waxman (Sunset Boulevard Suite) and Mancini (a raunchy Pink Panther theme) also gave respite to the inevitable glut of John Williams.

But this is an orchestra with a direct line to Williams, and it showed in the burnished, extravagant sheen with which the orchestra responded to the super-efficient Dudamel. There was glittering ecstasy from the ET music, ripe and resplendent brass in The Olympic Fanfare and Theme, and much more.

We also had a sneak preview of the Phil’s youth initiative, YOLA, some of whom joined in. It was an evening that ended on fire, having taken a while to build up excitement. It could have done with a compere to razz it up. When Dudamel eventually spoke, the temperature rose. Naturally there were encores.

Ken walton

Related topics:HollywoodEdinburgh