Halloween and Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) are both marked by the San Francisco Symphony, All Hallows' Eve on Oct. 31, and the Mexican holiday a week after its Nov. 1 appearance on the calendar. With death playing a prominent role in both events, popular observations — and the Symphony's concerts — emphasize the celebration of life.
The list of Psycho, The Exorcist, and Poltergeist makes good sense for a Halloween program, but Godzilla? Somebody at the San Francisco Symphony is mixing psychological thrillers with sci-fi monsters. Still, in less academic circles, "spooky music" gets a pass for the Symphony's Halloween/Rocky Horror Picture Show concert on Oct. 31.
Conducted by Sean O’Loughlin, the concert has Peaches Christ and Latrice Royale as hosts, featuring Dorit Chrysler on theremin. The first half of the concert consists of excerpts from film scores — John Williams' The Witches of Eastwick, Bernard Herrmann's Psycho, Alexandre Desplat's Godzilla, Howard Shore's Ed Wood, Jerry Goldsmith's Basic Instinct and Poltergeist, Mike Oldfield's The Exorcist, Danny Elfman's Beetlejuice, and — what's spooky about that? — “I Whistle A Happy Tune” from the Rodgers & Hammerstein The King and I.
Chrysler is an Austrian-born, New York-based composer and musician, the founder of the New York Theremin Society. Her compositions have been commissioned most recently by the Venice Biennale and the New York MoMA Film department. Invented in 1919 by Russian physicist Lev Sergejewitch Termen, the theremin generates sound without being touched. It is one of the first electronic instruments to inspire the creation of synthesizers.
The second half of the concert offers the 40th anniversary screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. No orchestra here, audience participation being the accompaniment, with Peaches providing commentary and instructions for the audience, many of whom are expected to be in Halloween costumes.
Peaches is the alter-ego of writer/director Joshua Grannell. He attended film school at Penn State, where his senior thesis film Jizzmopper: A Love Story won the audience award upon graduation. It was during the production of this film that the character Peaches Christ was born, played by Grannell.
He is also the creator of Midnight Mass, a summer series of classic and contemporary cult cinema that ran for 12 years at Landmark’s Bridge Theatre with much of the notoriety coming from infamous pre-show extravaganzas. (Chances are the S.F. Symphony screening will maintain some decorum.)
On Nov. 7, Día de los Muertos is a three-part all-day event, beginning with an 11 a.m. brunch (in the Wattis Room), 2 and 8 p.m. concerts in Davies Hall.
The concerts feature Lila Downs, performing selections from Balas y Chocolate (Bullets and Chocolate), her eighth studio album, published earlier this year. There also will be a colorful traditional procession, the orchestra performing Arturo Marquéz's "Conga del Fuego" and "Danzón No. 2," Juventino Rosas' "Sobre las Olas" (arranged by Zhurbin), and other works.
Of these concerts, Richard Lonsdorf, S.F. Symphony associate director of artistic planning, has said:
The Día de los Muertos community concert is going to be wonderful. We are taking it up a notch with two performances this year, because it has turned into such a popular tradition with our audience.
The multi-Grammy-award winning singer Lila Downs will be making her symphonic debut with us, which is so thrilling. Her new album, Balas y Chocolate, has a strong Day of the Dead theme, and these performances serve as the finale for her U.S. tour. She is such a phenomenal singer and compelling performer that this collaboration will be a treat not only for her many fans but also those who don’t yet know her music.