A couple of upcoming performances by the San Antonio Symphony will put them in a very different light. First we start with a kind of interstellar light.
“We are going to be presenting 'Star Trek: Into the Darkness' in the Majestic Theater on October 17th and 18th.”
David Gross is the symphony’s CEO, and yes, you heard right. They’re presenting a Star Trek movie.
“The San Antonio Symphony will be presenting the full orchestral score live” he said.
The movie will play on a big screen minus the music that will be played live by the symphony.
“So you get the thrill of live music along with the thrill of seeing the film,” explained Gross.
I asked him to tell us about the next performance, the one with the band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
“Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a swing band that’s gotten a fair amount of notoriety on television," he said. "They’ve been on 'American Idol.' A very, very exciting show."
Wrap your mind around that: this wild and wooly swing band is going to play with the San Antonio Symphony.
“They’re great musicians, a really high energy group,” he said.
I had to make the observation that they sound completely unlike Dvorak. Gross laughed.
“It is completely unlike Dvorak, but it does kind of embrace music that is American."
I told him it’s going to be interesting to see how Lang-Lessing reacts to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Turns out Gross had sent Lang-Lessing a music video of the group.
“I sent him a clip on this and he called me within two minutes and he said ‘Book them!’” Gross added another surprise. “We’re going to try to get him a Zoot Suit for this concert.”
And seeing that should be worth the price of admission in and of itself.
Here's more on that "Star Trek" concert.
Here's more on that Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert.
Here's a taste of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6ICYbiLIsg
And below, composer Michael Giacchino talks about his score for "Star Trek Into Darkness."
