Tag Archives: John Goberman

Hosting the San Francisco Symphony

Working with producer John Goberman during rehearsals at Davies Symphony Hall.

Working with producer John Goberman during rehearsals at Davies Symphony Hall.

On Saturday, I was honored to host the San Francisco Symphony’s “Night at the Oscars” concert, which included excerpts — played “live to picture” — from classic film scores including Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Adventures of Robin Hood, Max Steiner’s Gone With the Wind, Miklos Rozsa’s Ben-Hur, Bernard Herrmann’s Citizen Kane, and Harold Arlen and Herbert Stothart’s Wizard of Oz.

It was great fun to share the podium with conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos and to work with legendary TV and concert producer John Goberman. We had some laughs and the audience really loved the music. We even got a nice review.

Discussing film music at the Kennedy Center

I was honored to be asked by conductor Leonard Slatkin to consult on, and then participate in, a six-night festival of film music with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. On Jan. 24 I led a discussion of the McCarthy era and its impact on Hollywood; the next night, Slatkin and I were joined by composer John Williams and director Stanley Donen; and on Jan. 31 I talked about the restoration of Metropolis with producer John Goberman. Part of the fun for me was not only writing the program notes but helping design a multi-page timeline of great moments in film-music history. Here is an overview of the festival.

L-R: John Williams, Stanley Donen, JB, Leonard Slatkin

L-R: John Williams, Stanley Donen, JB, Leonard Slatkin