Q&A with Alexandre Desplat

This evening I attended a screening of the movie The King's Speech, an exquisite film starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Firth plays King George V, Rush plays his speech therapist. Easily one of the best movies Ive seen in a long time. One falls in love with the characters almost immediately. A brilliant balance of struggle, family, and humor. This was a particularly special event in that the movie was followed by a Q&A with composer Alexandre Desplat and director Tom Hooper. Unfortunately the session was ill-planned with hardly any time to get anything from the panelists. But, we were able to hear Desplat comment on how it was to work with and around source music. The composer showed true humility in his welcome approach to having several significant cues of classical music, including an exquisitely done sequence with the second movement of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. From where I sat, Desplat was so gracious of such music that while watching the film it often took me a few moments to realize I was listening to music not written by Desplat. To me, such an approach is a venerable one; it shows the utmost respect for director and film. Moreso the ability to recognize the quality of art one is dealing with and the merit in their decision to use such an appropriate piece of music for their sequence. Mr. Desplat certainly has my respect and even moreso since I've seen how he has graced the most recent Potter film. Here's hoping The King's Speech walks away with all the oscars.

At the Scoring Stage with Blake Neely

Tim Davies conducting

This week I had the incredible pleasure of being invited to a session of composer Blake Neely at Warner Brothers studios. Blake is fantastic composer who has made a niche in TV, currently scoring three hit TV shows: The Mentalist, Brothers and Sisters, and, the session I was attending, No Ordinary Family. The show has a budget for a weekly session of about 50 players (strings, woodwinds, brass, timpani, and harp) - a dream gig for any composer. Blake's session was everything I like about Blake - organized, calm, and a total blast. Everyone was at ease, laughing, having a good time, and reveling in the music-making process. My kind of session.

I can't tell you how inspiring it is to see working composers using live musicians on a weekly basis. It is a rare treat that I hope is on its way back to becoming the standard in our business. TV is a serious test in speed and organization for composers, particularly when sessions are involved. Typically one has a week or less between when one gets the final cut of the show and when one gets on the scoring stage. It is nuts - there is no room for sloppiness. Sessions move lightning fast in order to get what needs to be done done. Blake's session went off without a hitch - utterly professional, no messing around. Definitely something to admire and to strive for.

An Evening with Seth MacFarlane

Ok, it's not quite what you think. This evening was the RMALA's annual benefit auction and dinner. Normally the event costs a small fortune to attend, but I was very lucky to be able to partake for free thanks to a few very generous friends. I was also able to take my dear friend and esteemed counterpart Sherri Chung, who made a fantastic date. The draw of this year's benefit was, you guessed it, Seth MacFarlane performing with his jazz big band. The event was held at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles - an incredibly ornate and luxurious venue reminiscent of the Plaza Hotel in NYC. Needless to say it was a very memorable evening. All of LA's best players, contractors, and composers were in attendance. Much socialization occurred, business cards given out, and of course hearing Seth perform is such a treat. I even got to reconnect with a composer friend, Blake Neely, who treated me and Sherri to a fabulous night out after the event.

For those of you who might not be aware, Seth MacFarlane is very highly regarded in the Los Angeles music scene because he is such a huge proponent of live music. All three of his animated sitcoms have live union sessions for every episode, not to mention all the performances and things he does with his own big band. Because of Seth, many musicians are working and feeding their families. He was given an award at the end of the night for the support he gives to the musicians of LA.

My one regret? I didn't get a chance to tell Seth I have a crush on him. Such a pity. ;-) Many thanks to Rob Brophy and Peter Rotter for making the evening possible for me.

Putting it Together

Once upon a time I was a pianist. Long before I ever started composing, I played (and long before I played, I sang, but that's another entry).  In my senior year of college I got on board as accompanist for the student-run theatre production of Into the Woods by Steven Sondheim. The show was produced and run by my classmates, many of whom were good friends, so of course I wanted to be involved. Having never heard of Sondheim, I thought nothing of it.... After several months of rehearsal and the news that I would be the sole member of the pit, I raised my white flag and checked into the looney bin. I could barely comprehend the rhythms, never mind carry the entire show. I learned my lesson: I am not an accompanist. It stressed me out. I would much rather be the one writing the shows than playing them.

Fast forward five years later to last week in LA when I got a call from an actor friend of mine telling me the second keyboard player for the show he was in dropped out at the last minute and they needed someone to step in. The show? Putting it Together by, you guessed it, Stephen Sondheim. I thought, well, I could certainly use the paycheck, and since the job was only playing random filler parts, it seemed like it would be doable. The first rehearsal was this past Monday and immediately I felt defeated. The majority of the run through I sat with mouth agape as the music flew by me in an incomprehensible Sondheim-grooving tempo.  I remembered why I hadn't done any performing for so many years. What the hell was I thinking?

Despite my reservations (I won't lie, I called a bunch of my pianist friends to see if they wanted the gig) I felt in my gut that this was a job I needed to stick with. Every day I rehearsed with the accompanist and thanks to his coaching (and patience!), we put it together, bit by bit. Last night we opened and I felt totally comfortable. No jitters. Now I know a collection of Sondheim tunes very well, have kicked up my performing chops, and am getting paid for it. Not a bad deal.

You might be wondering how this entry fits into a composer blog. One of the biggest lessons I've learned since moving to LA is that you never know what opportunities might lead you to bigger and better places, no matter how seemingly random and irrelevant they may appear.  The term I often hear is "planting seeds" - you make as many connections as you can, and you wait and see which ones actually take. Of course one must use one's judgment and know the difference between being part of a worthwhile gig versus being taken advantage of. Right now I have no idea what significance this show has, and it may turn out to not have any, but I do know that I'm learning, it's something I feel good about, it's giving me a paycheck, and it could just lead to an unexpected connection.

If you'd like to come and check out the show, visit the theatre's website: TheatrePalisades.org