Warner Bros. presents Bugs Bunny At The Symphony (with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra)
Similar to the dozens of young kids who were accompanied by their parents to the wonderful Warner Brothers presents Bugs Bunny At The Symphony, with the always mesmerizing Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, my parents took great care to infuse an appreciation for the art (especially classical music) from a very young age. JT invited me last night to this great concert and I couldn’t help but write about it, even if that violates my own self-imposed hiatus.
I actually did shed tears a few times throughout the performance, and even tweeted “I want to thank my parents for giving me the opportunities they did to appreciate art in all its forms“. You’ll see, when I was a child, I went to anywhere from 2 to 6 concerts a week (mine and my own brothers’ included, of course). I grew up with Vivaldi, Beethoven, Brahms. I play classical piano (not as well as my brothers do since they are concert-level pianists), and I learned my dance moves to the sounds of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Ravel’s Bolero, Strauss’ Blue Danube and many more. Classical music is in my very veins and in my blood.
Listening to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is ALWAYS a treat, but being part of a very smart strategic move to popularize classical music and imbue in our children and youth an appreciation for the timeless works of Liszt, Rossini, Beethoven, etc. was just priceless. Bugs Bunny playing Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 made my mind wander all the way to Mexico, and think about my parents and about my brothers who live in the US and Mexico. We all learned the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and it reminds me so much of piano lessons at home (in my case, I still play a simplified version).
I had a wonderful chat with a couple of young men who were sitting behind JT and myself (they must have been what, 20-24?) and they were there with their Mom. They mentioned “I grew up with this stuff”. I also coincidentally (and fortunately) sat right besides Kevin Shoesmith, who brought along his two children to enjoy this magical performance. And the ticket prices are extremely affordable.
A spectacular new fusion of classic Warner Bros. Looney Tunes projected on the big screen, with their exhilarating original scores played live! Celebrating 20 years of Bugs Bunny on the concert stage, this brand new production features special guests Tom and Jerry in The Hollywood Bowl and The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo! Don’t miss these, plus old favourites like What’s Opera, Doc? And The Rabbit of Seville in this world premiere season and anniversary concert!
Maestro George Daugherty is not only an extremely talented conductor but an amazingly funny guy. He walked us through many of the tunes in a language that was accessible to even those who hadn’t grown up with Musical Appreciation lessons. His creation in 1989 (he said 1989, though the write-up says 1990) of the Bugs Bunny at the Symphony has been acclaimed worldwide and he was just recently in Mexico with the production (I haven’t asked my parents if they had a chance to go see it yet).
Thanks also to Best Buy for being a corporate sponsor. I recently had the pleasure of attending Ballet BC’s at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and I realized that Fasken Martineau had sponsored that concert. Really smart move by big corporate sponsors to fund the arts in this city. That’s the only way they are going to thrive and survive.
I strongly urge you to take in one of the two last performances of Bugs Bunny At The Symphony (buy tickets to the 2pm and to the 7:30pm). Bear in mind that the latter show (7:30pm) may be a little bit tiring for the young ones. But it’s totally worth it. This is one concert you don’t want to miss.
A small extract from one of the pieces shown last night (that I found on YouTube). Timeless, classic and beautiful. Thank you to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for bringing this caliber of talent and music to our Vancouver.
Disclosure: JT paid for both of our tickets on his own dime.
Related posts:
- Warner Brothers Canada Presents: Contagion (win 1 of 4 double passes)
- Vancouver Concert Opera Co-Operative presents Carmen
- Mozart in the City Festival 2010 (Calgary): Jupiter Symphony and Karen Gomyo
- Tweetup at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (@VSOrchestra)
- New Jersey Deep – Black Science Orchestra
Amazing!! I watched the video trailer and enjoyed. “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” really impressed me. I can’t wait to watch the full edition. Thanks
I really appreciate what the VSO is trying to do here. I went.
I don’t believe in them not actually PLAYING for half the show. Almost 2 hours of show but the VSO only played for about an hour of it. The rest was spent watching videos with “canned” music. I can do that at home.
Additionally, if the VSO tries to explain “well that’s the way this touring show programs it” that’s not good enough. They should be held accountable. People are paying for the show AND to hear the VSO play. Not to watch cartoons (with canned music) while they sit there and watch with us.
Dear Max — Glad you went to the show. However, your math is a bit off. Of the 120 minutes of content in “Bugs Bunny At The Symphony,” only 19 minutes is without live orchestra (i.e. video montages and cartoons.) The rest is played by the live orchestra. In today’s economy we are only given two rehearsals by any orchestra to prepare this show. And as you saw, this music is incredibly difficult. It is not possible to rehearse and prepare more than 100 minutes of difficult live music in only two rehearsals. But thanks for your comments! George Daugherty, Conductor and Producer, “Bugs Bunny At The Symphony.”