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An Evening of Film & Music: From Mexico to Hollywood

John Williams Spotlight

Fri / Oct 25, 2024 - 8:00PM

An exciting program, co-curated by John Williams and Gustavo Dudamel, pairs musical selections from the rich history of Mexican cinema with highlights from Hollywood’s silver screen.

No Longer Available

Program

    • ESPERÓN
    • Suite México 1910
    • Excerpts from La noche de los Mayas
    • Music from Redes
    • RAMÍREZ
    • Tribute to Emilio “El Indio” Fernández
    • ESPERÓN
    • The Genre of La Comedia Ranchera
    • BRETÓN
    • Tribute to Luis Buñuel
    • Tribute to Mario Moreno (Cantinflas)
    • Intermission
    • “Hooray for Hollywood”
    • RÓZSA
    • Prelude and Finale from Double Indemnity
    • Excerpts from An American in Paris
    • A Tribute to Bette Davis: Theme from Now Voyager
    • JARRE (adapted by Eddie Karam)
    • Suite from Dr. Zhivago
    • ROSENMAN
    • A Tribute to James Dean: Music from East of Eden
    • STEINER
    • Finale from Casablanca

About this Performance

From the late 1930s through the early 1960s the film industries of Mexico and Hollywood flourished, each creating an output of beloved movies and cherished scores that continue to impress. Legendary composer John Williams curates and Gustavo Dudamel conducts a cinematic journey through a selection of these works, from comedia ranchera to Casablanca.

Join the LA Phil on this excursion through the Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano, showcasing troubadours from cowboy musicals alongside epic scores from the country’s most famous composers such as Silvestre Revueltas and Manuel Esperón. In addition, influential filmmakers including the surrealist auteur Luis Buñuel, director/actor Emilio "El Indio" Fernández, and beloved comedian Cantinflas (Mario Moreno) mined the interaction between sound and vision to inspired results.

To the north, Hollywood’s Golden Age not only catapulted figures like Bette Davis and James Dean to stardom, but also attracted eminent composers and songwriters eager to contribute to the relatively new medium of film. European émigrés like Max Steiner and Miklós Rózsa helped mint instant classics with melodies that audiences hummed on their way out of movie theaters. Richard A. Whiting wrote an anthem for studio system in “Hooray for Hollywood,” while the work of George Gershwin, who died in 1937, was realized in full technicolor with An American in Paris. In subsequent decades, composers including Maurice Jarre and Leonard Rosenman built upon this legacy.

Join Dudamel and the LA Phil for a joyous exploration of this storied era of cinematic history at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

With multiple major events affecting traffic throughout areas of Los Angeles this weekend, please allow extra time getting to this performance.

The worldwide copyrights in the music of George Gershwin for this presentation are licensed by The Gershwin® Family.

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