“[Silvestri] really knocked it out of the park as far as I’m concerned,” says Buc. “He delivered in many ways a main theme that is so much larger than life, and fantastic, swashbuckling and thrilling. It really lifts the picture and carries you away to this other dimension.”
Ahead of tackling this project with the MSO, Buc met with the composer in New York to discuss the score, and secured Silvestri’s blessing.
“He’s happy for this to live on in its own little way, and for conductors to bring their own interpretation of the score,” he says. Don’t expect too many alterations of Silvestri’s vision, however. “I love the original so much that part of me feels it’s like sacrilege if I deviate too much. For me, it’s doing justice to the original as much as I can.”
There isn’t much orchestrated music in the first half of the original film, so Silvestri has actually composed new music to fill in gaps and flesh out scenes. Arrangements have been purposefully written to enrich the viewing experience as a whole, using familiar motifs to connect with the audience.
“In my opinion, I think it’s better,” says Buc. “He actually takes a few themes that he wrote for the second and third films, and in a way foreshadows them in this new presentation. He’s really weaved all the elements that he has for the three Back to the Future films and incorporated them into the new music. It feels very seamless and familiar.
“There’s a bit where Marty’s mother Lorraine is talking about how she met [Marty’s father] George McFly. Silvestri has actually taken the love theme that he wrote for Doc Brown and his love interest in the third film and cross referenced it backwards to become this sort of love theme that was never there.”
No matter how many times you’ve sat down to watch Back to the Future, you’ve certainly never experienced it like this. “The feeling is electric,” says Buc. “It not only makes you appreciate the music, but also the interaction with the film. It actually highlights all the other film making elements, the craft of the editing. It just makes you a bit more aware of it. To me, this is the way to enjoy films. It’s like opera of the 21st Century. We used to go and see the live actors on stage with the live music – this is just one step away from that. To have it fully integrated is really thrilling.
“Let’s be honest,” he adds, “symphony orchestras have their work cut out for them. There’s always this sort of image of the old, grey haired punter going along and watching Brahms and Mahler and whatnot.”
In contrast, the Back to the Future concerts are an opportunity for fans to reconnect with the film they first fell in love with 30 years ago. This feeling of reverent, healthy nostalgia is what Buc wants to give to the audience.
“There’s definitely a lingering message behind Back to the Future that’s made it so memorable and lasting all these years, and I really hope they hold on to that eternal youth.”
BY JAMES DI FABRIZIO
