By Morgan M. Hurley | Editor
Nostalgia, films are the stars this season
The 2015 Summer Pops season starts off with a (big bay) bang this weekend, and promises to offer both new and returning audiences a reason to keep coming back for more in a season that runs through Labor Day.
We will focus on the details of this year’s July lineup, which sees a wide mixture of musical genres and performing styles, and share the rest of the season in our August issue.
This weekend kicks off the Summer Pops season with its popular Fourth of July spectacular, “Star Spangled Pops.” Local American Idol alum Jessica Sanchez will share patriotic songs while Bill Conti conducts the full San Diego Symphony Orchestra.
Fireworks will commence at the end of each Friday, Saturday and Sunday performance this weekend; however on Saturday, when the country is celebrating Independence Day, the show will conclude a little sooner than usual and Summer Pops will take a back seat to the city’s Big Bay Boom over the San Diego Bay.
Matthew Garbutt returns as the principal Summer Pops conductor and will take the reigns most of the season except for a few special performances.
Films take center stage this year, starting out with the latest in the Star Trek franchise, 2013’s “Into Darkness” and music from its award-winning composer Michael Giacchino Comic Con weekend (July 11).
“The magic of this performance is that the score will be played by the San Diego Symphony live on stage — and perfectly timed to the action that the audience is watching on the big screen,” said Stephen Kougias, director of public relations for the San Diego Symphony.
“Hooray for Hollywood” (July 31, Aug 1) will tip its hat at some of tinsel town’s best films through the years, such as “Psycho,” “James Bond” and “Star Wars.”
Other films include “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II” (July 26) with Carl Stalling’s original scores; and the return of Captain Jack in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” in August.
The featured films — which he said all have their own unique audience — are shown on a large screen positioned above the orchestra.
The soundtrack, drama and excitement will all be there, the only thing missing is the musical score, and Kougias said the “Star Trek: Into Darkness” show is one not to miss.
“It’s a concert-going experience, a movie experience and a theatrical experience as the conductor leads the orchestra through this wonderful presentation,” he continued. “We have found that the audience loves it — this journey, this ride, this wonderful night at the Summer Pops.”
On Thursday night July 9, “Pokemon: Symphonic Evolutions” will also be brought to life by the orchestra for Comic Con fans and it will be accompanied by exciting visuals.
Giacchino began his long and storied award-winning career scoring video games. He won awards for scores he wrote for “LOST” and an Academy Award for “Best Original Score” for “UP.” He most recently composed for “Jurassic World.”
“The composer’s job, regardless of the platform, is to support the story emotionally: whether it is soldier during a raid in ‘Medal of Honor,’ a young woman giving birth on a mysterious island after a plane crash, or a young cadet struggling to prove himself to his superiors, the idea of making that emotional connection to the story is key. So the thinking is the same for all three,” Giacchino told San Diego Downtown News, adding that the “real differences are in terms of budget and luxury of time.”
Giacchino said he works very closely with the directors of each platform he’s composing but composing is a personal experience.
“Once I receive the film, I watch it, and then see how it hits me emotionally, what feels tense, what is sad, where does it take me,” he said. “For ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness,’ it was quite fun because I was given such a fantastic villain to write for played by the great actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Usually a sequel is like that, you have a few of your main themes that will be reprised but something different is happening, a new character is introduced, and you get to play with that. ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness,’ has a much darker tone than ‘Star Trek 09,’ so I was able to work with those colors as well.”
While in the past Pops has featured the songs of Motown on its schedule, this year they’ve moved into the 1970s and are offering the “Divas of Disco” (July 24-25) performed by the very entertaining “Radiance” quartet.
Not to leave out their fans of the Symphony’s classical season, “Pops Goes Classical” (Aug 2) takes fans on a musical journey with a “passport to the world,” Kougias said. In years past they’ve visited Italy and France and this year they take the audience to Spain.
“It’s light classical, something to enjoy on a Sunday night — it gives Pops goers who may not experience the classical season [a taste of it] — and classical fans a chance to come out to the pops and have a fun night outdoors,” Kougias said.
The seating and pricing options at Summer Pops are also diverse and there is something for everyone. You can’t go wrong with any of the choices, based on your personal preferences; the champagne section is up front and is closest to the orchestra, the screen and/or the artist, and includes table service; the cabaret options a little further back offer a food court; the grandstand, with its individual seats and graduated seating and perfect line of sight; and the lawn, where attendees can bring a blanket or a beach chair and enjoy an evening under the stars on the grass.
Summer Pops entertainment starts at 7:30 p.m. throughout the season except for the nights of film, which begin at 8 p.m. to take advantage of the sunset.
The choice of a Star Trek film experience is “tailor made” for Comic Con attendees Kougias said and year after year they spend their Saturday evening of the four-day convention on the water along the Embarcadero at Marina Park South at Summer Pops.
“I look forward to attending these concerts because the audience has a chance to see how integral the musicians are to a film,” Giacchino said.
“In my job, I get to see 90 musicians play together all the time at my sessions, and to be able to share that experience with an audience is so fulfilling. You may have a giant screen for home theater viewing, but you can’t have the San Diego Symphony accompanying your films in your living room!
“Also, I love to encourage the audience to be really be engaged with the film, cheering the good guys, booing the villains, totally reacting in real time,” he continued. “I think the audience will have a great time. I can’t wait to be on the Embarcadero again for a beautiful evening with the San Diego Symphony and the incredible conductor David Newman.”
A meet-and-greet with Giacchino before Saturday’s film and symphony performance will be available for VIP guests and the composer will welcome the audience at the start of the show.
“Over the years the Summer Pops has become a San Diego tradition – the fun, the festivity and the tradition of it all keeps people coming back,” Kougias said. “It’s great for San Diegans, it is great for tourists.”
For a complete list of performances, seating and pricing options, visit sandiegosymphony.com/summerpops.
—Morgan M. Hurley can be reached at [email protected].
