Perhaps unsurprisingly, film music concerts featuring specific composers seem to take on aspects of that composer's personality. Many such concerts are something close to classical orchestral concerts in nature, with the main difference being perhaps an introduction to set the context of each piece. But increasingly we are seeing something of a divergence from this format, and this divergence may parallel the evolution of film music itself. Danny Elfman concerts are a lot of fun, particular if he is singing/acting as Jack Skellington. Hans Zimmer concerts are more like Rock concerts with guest artists or instrumentalists taking a prominent role in different film tracks. In contrast, the Patrick Doyle Concert reviewed here felt almost homely in nature, like the audience were invited to be among Doyle's family and friends having a cosy musical evening. And indeed the guest artists were are among the composer's family and friends. With the inclusion of personal anecdotes from those guests, those large concert hall events felt more like intimate get togethers.
Doyle became 70 years old earlier in 2023, so the concert was sometimes labelled as a 70th birthday concert. He is Scottish and pleased to be the Composer in Residence this year for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. As many will know the RSNO is no stranger to film music with their many concerts and recordings in this genre, but it is particularly pleasing to see them celebrate a Scottish composer in this way. The picture of Doyle, painted by the collage of different anecdotes and stories about him, seems to show a person who swears a lot but is very funny and fun to be around, and at the same time a loyal and supportive family man. That family seems to be built around music as a shared passion for many of its members. Two of Doyle's daughters, Abigail and Nuala, sang some of their father's songs, and two of Doyle's friends Richard E Grant and Peter Capaldi shared the introduction duties with many funny stories between them all. The third singer was Mairi MacInnes, while Lorne MacDougall and Fraser Fifield played Bagpipes and Whistles between them. Belgian Conductor Dirk Brossé had also worked with Doyle previously, and is himself an expert in film music through the Gent Film Festival and associated World Soundtrack Award concerts.
It's easy to forget the breadth of Doyle's film music career, from Shakespeare and his diverse collaborations with Kenneth Branagh, by way of period drama Sense and Sensibility, gritty crime drama Carlito's Way and the Whisky Galore! remake, through to Bridget Jones, Harry Potter and the Animated "Brave". Indeed there were films on the programme I hadn't heard of, such as "Wah-Wah" and "Into the West", and it was also good to hear some of Doyle's concert music included in the programme. The composer seemed genuinely honoured to have been asked to compose for the recent Coronation of King Charles III, and his Coronation March had all the necessary pomp and ceremony. Peter Capaldi and Richard E Grant held the concert together with their various introductions, witty observations and humorous stories about the composer and his film collaborators. All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening with an intimate feel and a distinct Scottish flavour. Patrick Doyle's Music from the Movies concert was held on 17th November 2023 in Edinburgh's Usher Hall (which I attended), and again on 18th November in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall.
The photos on this page were borrowed from the social media posts of the RSNO.
Part 1
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