Symphony Silicon Valley returns to the Center for the Performing Arts for another classic Hollywood movie presented with live orchestra accompaniment.
Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece tells the tale of the notorious New York crime family, the Corleones, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Composer Nina Rota’s “dark, looming, and elegant soundtrack” is one of the greatest film scores ever written.
The soundtrack won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written Specifically For A Motion Picture or for Television. In 1972, the album reached #21 in the Billboard 200 charts.
Although Nino Rota’s score for The Godfather (1972) was refused an Oscar nomination because he reused the same theme from his previous score for Fortunella (1958), he was still awarded the Oscar for Best Original Score for the sequel even though it still used the same love theme from the first film.
The soundtrack’s “Main Title” is a classical recording, and establishes a theme for the rest of the score. “I Have but One Heart” is the sole vocal track on the album, featuring Al Martino switching from English to Italian lyrics. “The Halls of Fear” develops the theme even further by adding a dark, jazzy slant to it. The standout cut is “The Godfather Finale.” This is where the theme becomes undeniable, and simply striking.
The AFI voted The Godfather as having the #5 Greatest Film Score of All Time. Anyone who has seen the film has undoubtedly fallen in love with Nino Rota’s amazing score, thematically beautiful and with more than a hint of his Italian roots.
This event is presented by Symphony Silicon Valley.
Performances:
- Friday, April 8, 2016 @ 7pm
- Saturday, April 9, 2016 @ 7pm
- Sunday, April 10, 2016 @ 2:30pm