Erie Philharmonic Transports Audiences With Greatest Fantasy Hits II

Martin Barraud/KOTO

The Erie Philharmonic gets epic this February as they present their Greatest Fantasy Hits, a melange of various scores from sci-fi and fantasy favorites including Star Wars, Halo, Lord of the Rings, and more.

SATURDAY, FEB. 24 - 25

The Erie Philharmonic is moving audiences to worlds beyond our own with Greatest Fantasy Hits II. Delving into iconic scores from film and television, the Erie Philharmonic and Philharmonic Chorus will create fantasy and science fiction magic with a repertoire spanning over 50 years of music.

"From the sweeping melodies of epic fantasy films to the haunting themes of popular television shows, each piece will be brought to life by the powerful performance of the Philharmonic," the Philharmonic describes. "This concert offers a unique opportunity to experience your favorite fantasy and sci-fi music in a whole new light, amplified by the grandeur of a live orchestral performance."

With musical performances from eight different fictional worlds and 13 different composers — below we break down the scores from the upcoming concert, giving a glimpse into the inspiration behind the music and stories.

Halo

First released on Nov. 15, 2001 for the Microsoft Xbox, Halo: Combat Evolved launched a franchise that has enticed gamers from around the world. The music for the original Halo trilogy was composed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, and the first soundtrack was released in 2002. O'Donnell wrote the iconic theme featuring a chanting choir and thunderous percussion in only three days, and took inspiration for the melody from the Beatles song "Yesterday." Still recognizable to this day, the Halo soundtrack remains one the most iconic video game scores of all time.

Star Trek

Space may be the final frontier, but it has also inspired the music of Star Trek and continues to captivate audiences to this day. The Philharmonic will be playing scores from a vast array of Star Trek's catalog, starting with the original theme from the 1966 series by Alexander Courage. They move through the soundtracks as fast as the U.S.S. Enterprise — from Jerry Goldsmith's scores on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Voyager to Dennis McCarthy's work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Generations. Finally, Michael Giacchino's score to the Kelvin timeline film Star Trek: Into Darkness puts a final note on Star Trek's musical history.

Stranger Things

The latest season of Stranger Things introduced a new generation to the music of British singer-songwriter Kate Bush with her 1985 single "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)." First released on her 1985 album Hounds of Love, Bush wrote the song in a single evening with the main riff being played on a Fairlight CMI Synthesizer. She was a fan of Stranger Things and allowed the show to use her music. The song soon went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and Bush received her second number-one hit on the UK charts after Wuthering Heights was released in 1978.

Lord of the Rings

Transporting audiences to Middle-Earth, Howard Shore's score from The Lord of The Rings film trilogy creates emotional and tension-filled moments throughout the series, particularly in The Fellowship of the Ring. Shore began work on the score in 2000, writing over four hours of music for the film and over 50 leitmotifs over the course of the trilogy to represent the Fellowship, characters, cultures, and locations of Tolkien's world. Howard Shore won an Oscar for Best Original Score for his work on The Fellowship of the Ring.

Avatar

James Cameron's vision for Pandora couldn't have been complete without the music from the late James Horner. This was his third collaboration with Cameron, as he also composed the music for Aliens and Titanic. Working with ethnomusicologist Wanda Bryant, Horner took a different approach by writing two scores for the film: one focusing on the Na'vi sound along with a traditional film score. Combining the two scores into one, the soundtrack received critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Original Score at the Oscars.

Aliens

James Horner's first collaboration with James Cameron was on the sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien after they had met while working on a Roger Corman film. The score was composed in three weeks instead of the six Horner was promised, and recorded in a short time at Abbey Road Studios. Cameron disliked the score as he couldn't make the last-minute changes he had done previously on The Terminator with Brad Fiedel. Combining the pieces of Horner's score that fit the scenes he filmed with the work of Jerry Goldsmith and numerous unknown composers, Cameron finished work on the film and it was released on July 18, 1986.

Blade Runner

After winning the Oscar for Best Original Score for Chariots of Fire, Greek composer Vangelis collaborated with Ridley Scott to create the music for Blade Runner. Drawing from traditional orchestra composition, ambient sound, and nine synthesizers along with numerous percussion instruments, the score received commercial acclaim and was nominated for Best Original Score for the BAFTA Awards.

Star Wars

The music of Star Wars is considered one of the most iconic film scores in history, and many composers have added to its legacy. The Philharmonic will be performing John Williams' scores for The Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, along with Ludwig Goransson's theme for The Mandalorian. Jon Favreau wanted the music for the show to reflect Williams' score, but have a different tone for the show, which was inspired by Westerns and samurai films. The theme's opening was played on a bass recorder, and the score received critical acclaim. Goransson would go on to work with director Christopher Nolan on Tenet and would receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score for Oppenheimer. — Thomas Taylor

Saturday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. // Warner Theatre, 811 State St. // $14-$60 // For tickets and info: eriephil.org