Danny Elfman Brings His ‘Symphony of Chaos’ to Pittsburgh
The noted composer behind “The Nightmare Before Christmas" and other blockbusters is scheduled to perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in July.
PHOTO COURTESY DANNY ELFMAN
It’s been nearly 40 years since Danny Elfman played in Pittsburgh.
Laughing as he recalls that early visit, he muses, “It would have been a little club, you know,” reflecting on the grit of his first tours. Now, the maestro of musical whimsy returns to take center stage with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall on July 18 and 19.
When stepping onto the podium with an ensemble of the PSO’s caliber, his focus isn’t just on the execution, but on the character.
“It’s not like, ‘Oh, of course they’re going to be able to play it.’ How will they put in their own personality and interpretation? And that’s the kind of fun part about live music,” he says.
PHOTO COURTESY DANNY ELFMAN
Translating Elfman’s famously intricate, layered studio scores into a purely acoustic setting is no small feat. His arrangements for directors such as Tim Burton are legendary for their unusual instrumentation and precise mixing. Early in his concert career, Elfman learned that moving music directly from film score to live stage often failed.
“There were all kinds of problems. Writing for a studio orchestra is very different in terms of balancing the performance,” he says. “You have access to everything. If you need the clarinets to come through, you just push the faders up. It’s that easy.”
After experiencing challenges with pieces from “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Batman” not translating acoustically in a live space, he realized he had to relearn how to present his repertoire. Before a massive retrospective performance in London over a decade ago, Elfman reorchestrated 16 distinct concert suites for what became known as the “Danny Elfman’s Music From the Films of Tim Burton” show.
This moved the balance away from the mixing board and directly onto sheet music. Now, Pittsburgh audiences will get to experience several of these meticulously rebuilt Tim Burton classics.
PHOTO COURTESY DANNY ELFMAN
Alongside more familiar suites, Elfman will premiere several of his scores, including Luc Besson’s “Dracula,” “The Wolf Man” (a personal favorite score of Elfman’s), as well as his beautifully understated, emotional work for Gus Van Sant’s “Milk.” Elfman also promises a surprise live performance premiere.
Whether weaving the frantic energy of “Beetlejuice” or the haunting melancholy of “Edward Scissorhands,” Elfman views film scoring as a discipline of total empathy.
“You have to get inside a director’s head. You have to learn to hear through their ears,” he says.
His commitment to adaptability eventually led to classical commissions. Elfman is now working on his 12th piece: a trumpet concerto for the Montreal Symphony. Shifting away from cinema brings a psychological hurdle; a moving image acts as an instant creative prompt, but a blank page offers no such comfort.
“When I see moving pictures, I hear music. When there’s no picture, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, how do I start?’” he says. “It’s really intimidating.”
Creative risk-taking has granted Elfman a rare cultural permanence, transforming his music into a cross-generational bridge. His crowd at Heinz Hall will likely include listeners who saw “Batman” in theaters back in 1989 alongside teenagers who discovered his work via “The Nightmare Before Christmas” or Netflix’s “Wednesday.” He calls this “probably the most exciting part” of performing live.
PHOTO COURTESY DANNY ELFMAN
The longevity of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” holds a sweet spot for the composer. At first, he says, Disney executives panicked over the film’s tone. They feared it was too frightening for young audiences and refused to market it to them.
Elfman says, “The question that was asked to me a thousand times was, ‘So, it’s too scary for kids. Who’s it for?’”
Are his iconic, whimsically dark melodies an instantaneous spark or a slow process?
“It’s sculpting out of noise,” Elfman says.
Though some filmmakers explicitly hire him to deliver “the Danny Elfman sound,” he actively seeks out projects that allow him to completely mask his musical identity.
“Nothing makes me happier than if I did a film and they have end credits and somebody sees my name and goes, ‘Damn, I wouldn’t have guessed you did that.’ I’m like, yes,” he says.
