Photograph Courtesy of the Sydney Opera House
Whether Bugs Bunny is outsmarting the hapless Elmer Fudd or convincing a dimwitted dog to do his dirty work, one constant remains: a memorable musical score.
For its latest “SLSO Presents” venture, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra plays live as classic Looney Tunes cartoons are projected overhead at Powell Hall (February 20 to 21, slso.org).
Naturally, an animated rabbit marks a bit of a departure from the norm—but that’s fine with SLSO president and executive director Fred Bronstein. “Bugs Bunny on Broadway is really a lot of fun,” he says.
Bronstein, who’s helped expand the orchestra’s popular appeal since arriving in March 2008, oversaw the cartoon spectacular while serving as president and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. And like a rabbit to a carrot, he couldn’t resist its pull once more.
“If you remember, some of the older Bugs Bunny cartoons have this great use of classical music,” he says. “There are even some cartoons where Bugs is a conductor or a musician.”
In this case, the original soundtrack’s been stripped out, and the orchestra plays instead, with the characters’ voices still intact. It makes for some interesting rehearsals. “The orchestra will rehearse with the cartoons playing, and they use what’s called a click track to synchronize everything,” explains Bronstein. “It needs to be timed dead-on correctly for it to work.” Musicians use the same instruments as the original score, including plenty of percussion—though “the xylophone reigns supreme,” says Bronstein.
Bronstein hints next season will offer a fresh crop of SLSO Presents concerts performed to films and video. Does that mean Powell audiences will witness the Road Runner outlasting Wile E. Coyote as the august orchestra simulates the sound of an anvil crashing to the ground?
One can only hope.
