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In the end, Judy Garland can't be bested, no matter what the volume of the accompaniment behind her.
The Utah Symphony played a live orchestral accompaniment to a large-format screening of the classic film "The Wizard of Oz" on Friday, and despite sections of the film where the orchestra played louder than the voices of the characters, the evening was a successful spectacle for the eyes as well as spectacular for the ears.
The entire film played from start to finish, with all of the original 1939 instrumentals taken out. The music to the beloved score and songs were left to the symphony orchestra, under the baton of associate conductor David Cho.
"Oz with Orchestra" is the traveling creation of John Goberman, the Emmy Award-winning producer of PBS's "Live from Lincoln Center," with the Lincoln Center the home of the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera House. He's also the creator of more orchestra/film collaborations, including "Symphonic Night at the Movies" and "Psycho with Orchestra," but "The Wizard of Oz" appeals to children (as opposed to "Psycho"), and many families were in attendance at Abravanel Hall.
The familiar story of Dorothy Gale's trip down the yellow brick road, along with the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, to see the Wizard of Oz was a visual Technicolor feast at Abravanel, and I have never seen the colors so breath-taking before. The brightness of the red poppies, the horses "of a different color," the luminescent green of the Emerald City, and the menacing crimson-colored sands in the Wicked Witch's hourglass stood out, especially when compared to the sepia-colored bookends of the film.
It is a testament to Cho's skill that the music of the orchestra matched the action on the screen; there was no room for error. While the piece didn't allow Cho to make a personal stamp on the music, he made sure the rhythmic choreography of the dancing was in step with the rhythmic pulse of the orchestra.
The main quibbles I had was that the orchestra often overwhelmed the voices and sound effects of the film during the first half of the movie. But the orchestra righted itself in the second half, with a balance that allowed the audience to further suspend their disbelief. The highlight was when the four protagonists finally meet the Wizard, and the repeated, powerful bursts of peril brought to mind the hero's felling blows in the final movement of Mahler's Sixth Symphony.
Review • Oz with Orchestra
P Utah Symphony delivers satisfying evening of movie music, even without popcorn and Raisinets.
When • Reviewed Friday, Nov. 12; also plays at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13;
Where • Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $35 to $85 at ArtTix.org
Running time • 2 hours with intermission