# Danny Elfman Violin Concerto



## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

This evening I had the extreme pleasure of hearing the new violin concerto by film composer Danny Elfman. It blew me away! It has some of the most deeply felt, sincere, thought provoking music I've heard in many years. Brilliant. And some bravura passages that are hair-raising. The very close is breathtaking. This is the real deal. No ugly, 12-tone scratching. No fake quasi-religious buffoonery. This is real music. Elfman can really write symphonically. Of course there were times when The Simpsons, Batman, Night Breed and Beetlejuice poke their heads out, but that just his musical language. It's a long concerto - 4 movements. The composer was in attendance and I was thrilled to see that the recording (same violinist, orchestra, different conductor) will be released this coming week. If you ever despair about the future of classical music, you must hear this concerto. HERE is a link to it on Arkivmusic - watch the video. It really could become a standard piece - sure gives the entire orchestra something to do, especially the percussionists. Highly recommended.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

The Elfman link to his Violin Concerto was excellent. I like what brief excerpts I’ve heard and the outlook he has on it. I wish more film composers would challenge themselves this way.


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## Flutter (Mar 26, 2019)

I'm a sucker for Elfman, big Oingo Boingo fan too. I barely listen to any of his work but the soundtracks to Batman and Spiderman 1 in particular have a special place in my heart. 
I heard an attempt at classical that he did around 12 years ago but it wasn't to my taste unfortunately, I'll check out the Violin Concerto and see if he's grown in that area


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## Haydn70 (Jan 8, 2017)

mbhaub said:


> This evening I had the extreme pleasure of hearing the new violin concerto by film composer Danny Elfman. It blew me away! It has some of the most deeply felt, sincere, thought provoking music I've heard in many years. Brilliant. And some bravura passages that are hair-raising. The very close is breathtaking. This is the real deal. No ugly, 12-tone scratching. No fake quasi-religious buffoonery. This is real music. *Elfman can really write symphonically*. Of course there were times when The Simpsons, Batman, Night Breed and Beetlejuice poke their heads out, but that just his musical language. It's a long concerto - 4 movements. The composer was in attendance and I was thrilled to see that the recording (same violinist, orchestra, different conductor) will be released this coming week. If you ever despair about the future of classical music, you must hear this concerto. HERE is a link to it on Arkivmusic - watch the video. It really could become a standard piece - sure gives the entire orchestra something to do, especially the percussionists. Highly recommended.


Can he? I wonder how much of this concerto was actually composed by him.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

mbhaub said:


> This evening I had the extreme pleasure of hearing the new violin concerto by film composer Danny Elfman. It blew me away! It has some of the most deeply felt, sincere, thought provoking music I've heard in many years. Brilliant. And some bravura passages that are hair-raising. The very close is breathtaking. This is the real deal. No ugly, 12-tone scratching. No fake quasi-religious buffoonery. This is real music. Elfman can really write symphonically. Of course there were times when The Simpsons, Batman, Night Breed and Beetlejuice poke their heads out, but that just his musical language. It's a long concerto - 4 movements. The composer was in attendance and I was thrilled to see that the recording (same violinist, orchestra, different conductor) will be released this coming week. If you ever despair about the future of classical music, you must hear this concerto. HERE is a link to it on Arkivmusic - watch the video. It really could become a standard piece - sure gives the entire orchestra something to do, especially the percussionists. Highly recommended.


I love Tim Burton/Elfman, so I'll give this a listen when it is released.


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## Varick (Apr 30, 2014)

Yes, I enjoyed listening to the excerpts as well. I have always enjoyed his Film music. I think Edward Scissorhands is one of his best compositions, but there are so many others. I will definitely look into this piece when released. I admire what he said in the beginning, that he's not trying to prove anything to anybody, he just wants to challenge himself. Few things are more admirable than that.

V


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

mbhaub said:


> This evening I had the extreme pleasure of hearing the new violin concerto by film composer Danny Elfman. It blew me away! It has some of the most deeply felt, sincere, thought provoking music I've heard in many years. Brilliant. And some bravura passages that are hair-raising. The very close is breathtaking. This is the real deal. No ugly, 12-tone scratching. No fake quasi-religious buffoonery. This is real music. Elfman can really write symphonically. Of course there were times when The Simpsons, Batman, Night Breed and Beetlejuice poke their heads out, but that just his musical language. It's a long concerto - 4 movements. The composer was in attendance and I was thrilled to see that the recording (same violinist, orchestra, different conductor) will be released this coming week. If you ever despair about the future of classical music, you must hear this concerto. HERE is a link to it on Arkivmusic - watch the video. It really could become a standard piece - sure gives the entire orchestra something to do, especially the percussionists. Highly recommended.


Is this it?

I, II, III, IV.


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

Haydn70 said:


> Can he? I wonder how much of this concerto was actually composed by him.


You have someone in mind?


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

Haydn70 said:


> Can he? I wonder how much of this concerto was actually composed by him.


http://scorelibrary.fabermusic.com/Concerto-for-Violin-and-Orchestra-Eleven-Eleven-33014.aspx


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Not my cup of tea. I was interested to find out his musical education, because I heard elsewhere he couldn't read notes. He learned as he went along, and had a good ear. Thing I found out from the Today's composers forum is even though some are musically literate, and can read and write music, they may still not be musically competent, and have the ability to discern what works and what doesn't by hearing.

https://www.americancomposers.org/elfman_interview.htm


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## LezLee (Feb 21, 2014)

Gave it a go but not impressed. Derivative of other works, though I’m not sure which! It’s ok but I won’t be listening again.


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## Haydn70 (Jan 8, 2017)

janxharris said:


> You have someone in mind?


Any number of trained composers who have worked with him through the years.


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## Haydn70 (Jan 8, 2017)

janxharris said:


> http://scorelibrary.fabermusic.com/Concerto-for-Violin-and-Orchestra-Eleven-Eleven-33014.aspx


The existence of a score doesn't prove that he composed the entire piece.


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

Haydn70 said:


> The existence of a score doesn't prove that he composed the entire piece.


Assertions that others were involved without providing explicit evidence prove nothing.


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## Flutter (Mar 26, 2019)

Flutter said:


> I'm a sucker for Elfman, big Oingo Boingo fan too. I barely listen to any of his work but the soundtracks to Batman and Spiderman 1 in particular have a special place in my heart.
> I heard an attempt at classical that he did around 12 years ago but it wasn't to my taste unfortunately, I'll check out the Violin Concerto and see if he's grown in that area


I forgot to mention, I gave it a listen on youtube and it was ok, wasn't bad, some nice melodies in there. I felt the film-music style creep in at times but wasn't as invasive as some of the other attempts at classical Elfman has made in the more distant past.


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

It seems that the musical language is so elementary and basic that there is no choice but to make the orchestration plain and simple. This creates many problems like the tuttis sounding all the same. This static and changeless orchestration gets very taxing and tiresome on the ear after awhile. But like I said, he has given himself little choice. Because of the conception, he is forced to have for example, overuse of cellos and basses in their low registers in octaves and unisons. His lack of variety constantly paints himself into a corner.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

I don’t often fall asleep to music but this did the job.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

How much did he write? Who knows. No, he likely didn't do the orchestration. But whoever did (Bartek) they did a spectacular job. The colors constantly changed, the mood too. Maybe it needs live performance but it held my attention the whole 40 minutes. There's another thread at TC about musical composers getting less respect. So let's be clear: Richard Rodger and Irving Berlin could only scribble down a tune, Berlin hardly that. Their popular, marvelous scores were really the work of arrangers and orchestrates like Robert Russell Bennett. But it's no slight on the "composers". So if Elfman didn't do 100% of the work, so what? It's a heck of an inventive piece.


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

I disagree. The orchestration is bland. There is an overuse of string padding/filling out of harmony that is typical of film music (also the problem with the low strings mentioned previously). The colors are stagnant. The mood stays the same throughout as the palette is very limited with the typical overuse of tricks we've seen time and time again such as the overabundance of triads (minor triads, in particular) which do not pan out in interesting/chromatic ways as say, a Philip Glass chord progression does. They are all wall paper-ish and boring. There is an over-reliance on the arpeggiation of triads both for thematic material and accompaniment which becomes very taxing on the ear and boring. It's the same old business as usual.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

First impression. The Concerto starts off deep and enigmatically. Rich writing for the strings that go all the way down to the string basses. I like the energetic melodic interest that gains momentum. Then the 1st movement gets increasing emotionally turbulent. Beautiful playing by Cameron... There are the additional colors of the chimes and percussion, rhythmically vibrant and vital… I have no idea know what violin concerto others have been hearing, but it doesn't sound like this one… Then he brings in a certain elfin quality to lighten the mood with a certain SchostakovicIan crazy wildness. (He was one of the models for this concerto.) Then more low strings and overall a highly colorful orchestration. Then back to a thoughtful section with the strings only. Complex and well done. Soaring cadenza. I will gladly bet that Mr. Elfman will outlast his sour critics who can find nothing worthy of praise here. After the cadenza, there’s more colorful orchestration with the brasses brought in. Then more variety of mood. The first movement is outstanding. This is not film music. I look forward to hearing the 2nd movement. Maybe it starts to fall apart or is soaked in a predictable orchestration, but I rather doubt it.


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