Ever since James Bond came shooting his way into the public consciousness with 1962’s Dr. No, the screen versions of Ian Fleming’s original novels have succeeded with a bang. Six actors have played the famous spy—not counting the myriad 007s tripping their way through 1967’s entertainingly ludicrous Casino Royale (which was the second of three attempts to film Fleming’s novel, and bookended by a low-budget TV version and the straight-faced 2006 critically acclaimed retelling with Daniel Craig).
It isn’t an earth-shaking proposition to suggest the Bond films’ secret weapon was the title music, particularly in the ‘60s and ‘70s when John Barry was the composer and arranger. Barry’s themes offered a lush, romantic counterpoint to the by turns gritty and fantastical onscreen activity. And who could forget the silhouetted female dancers moving swimmingly in slow motion to Maurice Binder’s title sequences, as partnered with Barry’s sensuous, twinkle-toed theme songs. Not only did Barry add layers of depth to the Bond movies—it’s almost impossible to think of titles like Goldfinger without the main themes blaring through the secret headquarters of your mind. When other composers came to fill in, their one-dimensional 007 scores missed the mark, tending to cheapen the proceedings with second-rate detective music (a vibrant Barry score could have lifted a dry entry like For Your Eyes Only from mediocre to remarkable)—notable exceptions being George Martin’s Live and Let Die score, and Marvin Hamlisch’s soundtrack for The Spy Who Love Me (which included Carly Simon’s hit “Nobody Does it Better”).
Not until David Arnold stepped in to compose the soundtrack for the second Pierce Brosnan Bond, Tomorrow Never Dies, was the Barry torch received with reverence and responsibility. Arnold excels at the same lush, string-filled (and occasionally horny) Bond music that once put the famous secret agent on the map (and all over it). On Saturday, June 2, the St. Louis Symphony will pay tribute not only to 50 years of 007, it will travel the musical outskirts of Bondville, including music from the Austin Powers and Pink Panther movies—even pre-super-spy gumshoes like Dick Tracy (in the form of a Sondheim piece from the Warren Beatty film version ).
The guest conductor will be Michael Krajewski, and Debbie Gravitte will step in to handle the sultry, siren-esque vocals made famous earlier by Shirley Bassey. Where else could you expect to hear the iconic compositions of Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Sondheim and Barry performed together thematically—and cinematically—in a single evening? In recent years the 007 films have skimped on the music. The series, in fact, hasn’t had a truly memorable song – which should be par for the course—in at least 25 years. Fortunately, the St. Louis Symphony has raided the good old days for the best of Bond—and beyond.
Bond & Beyond, Saturday June 2, 8 p.m. $25-$57. Powell Symphony Hall, 718 N. Grand, 314-534-1700 stlsymphony.org.
