Celebrate music for the movies

AT any other time of the year, the sight of dancers moving against a green backdrop to the strains of the Star Wars and 2001 themes, as remixed by Japanese electronic pioneers, might seem slightly odd. Not Edinburgh in August and September.

The Fringe may be over for another year – that sound you can hear is my wallet breathing a sigh of relief – but the Edinburgh International Festival still has some unique film-related events worth considering.

From tonight until Saturday at the Playhouse, choreographer Ohad Naharin makes a return to the city with Hora, a thrilling spectacle that finds dancers using John Williams’ Star Wars score as they twist and articulate their way across the stage.

Then on Saturday there’s a chance to witness the latest work from Scottish composer Craig Armstrong (Moulin Rouge, Romeo+Juliet) in The Lady from the Sea at the King’s Theatre. The story of a girl who must decide between her family and a mysterious stranger, it’s one of four new works from Scotland’s national opera company exploring what opera might mean in the 21st century.

I’ve always thought that film scores can be a way in to the world of classical and orchestral music for those who don’t think they’re fans of ‘that sort of thing’. We all know the Jaws theme and some of us have hummed Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho score in the shower, but I suspect fewer of us have Beethoven on the iPod (unless you own soundtracks such as A Clockwork Orange).

I’d welcome a few more celebrations of film music around the city in the next 12 months - if any 60-piece orchestras fancy celebrating Bond composer John Barry, please give me a shout.

Visit www.reelscotland.com for film discussion