Last week I took five minutes out from all the LFFery that's been going on recently to go to the Concert For CARE at the Albert Hall. It was put together by David Arnold as an excuse to a) get a load of film music composers together to have their work blasted out by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and b) raise a ton of cash for relief agency CARE International. But you know all that because you've read my
penetrating interview with David Arnold, haven't you?
The evening was big bags of fun despite the fact that I only recognised about three tunes all night. It turns out there are severe gaps in my movie music knowledge that need attending to post haste, not least of which is John Powell-shaped. He's all kinds of ace.
Anyway if you couldn't make it you'll be pleased to know that I took some award-winning photos to illustrate the evening, and I think you'll agree that professional photojournalism like this is almost enough to make you feel like you were sitting in the royal box drinking Moët et Chandon and eating caviar like I was (I wasn't).
He introduced the event and spoke about CARE International so we didn't all think we were just there to have a good time. It's entirely possible that in this photo he's the other bloke next to the bloke he might be.
He played piano on his own scores for Love, Actually and World Trade Center. I couldn't hear him due to the proximity of the 78-piece orchestra.
They were there as ambassadors for CARE International. He barely got a word in. You can tell who wears the trousers in that house.
They sang 'Tonight You Belong To Me' from The Jerk
and accompanied themselves on ukelele and kazoo.
David Arnold has a surprisingly nice singing voice.
He introduced his own score from There Will Be Blood in the manner of someone not used to performing in front of enormous crowds.
Which is odd when you think about it.
He finished the first half with a suite from How To Train Your
Dragon, which was so bombastic that it caused the
old lady in the box next to me to wake up.
Nobody in the entire Royal Albert Hall thought he was funnier than he did.
One of two composeresses to perform, she revealed that American History X director Tony Kaye was in the audience, which caused everybody to look for him even though nobody knows what he looks like.
He played the piano on a piece from The Piano. See what he did there?
That's how Matt Lucas described himself before you start writing to me in green ink. He sang 'Smile' from Modern Times and was one thousand times funnier than Jimmy Carr.
At long last the orchestra banged out some Bond before finishing with music from Independence Day, which the couple on the other side of me argued all the way through because one of them thought it was from Jurassic Park. I was all like, "HELLO, does that even LOOK like John Williams?"
I don't know, some people.
So there you go. All you need now to really feel like you were there is to go to the off licence and pay four times more than you need to for a bottle of wine.
