Orchestra Toronto presents their first ever concert of movie music to kick off 2026. Titled Darth Vader Meets The Godfather, the program features a program of music that includes selections from Star Wars, The Godfather, The Lord of the Rings, E.T., The Untouchables and The Magnificent Seven.
“This concert represents some of the very best in cinematic music, from the soaring melodies and passion of Nino Rota’s score to The Godfather to John Williams’ iconic outer space adventures and virtuosic treatment of the orchestra in E.T. and Star Wars,” says Orchestra Toronto Music Director Michael Newnham in a statement.
LV caught up with Newnham to talk about the January 24 concert as well as the rest of the 2025/26 season.
Michael Newnham: The Interview
Concerts where musicians perform the score live while the film plays on a huge screen have become common fare for many major orchestras. What does film music without the film offer to audiences?
“Film music is really interesting because, a lot of the greatest talents in composition in Hollywood have been writing for film — or in Europe,” Newnham says.
The scores themselves often feature unique qualities.
“They tend to be very opulent,” he says. “They tend to use extra instruments that we don’t usually find in a symphony per se.”
A concert also allows for a better appreciation of the music on its own. Much of movie music is intended to be subsumed in the action that takes place on screen.
“I think one of the things that’s really great about separating out the film music from its context, from the film itself, is to be able to just concentrate on the brilliance of the scoring, and the melodies, because often it gets buried in the action it’s illustrating,” Michael explains.
“We can really focus on that.” He notes that it’s similar in principle to an opera in concert, for example. “Often, it even gets mixed down.” Movie music most often serves the purpose of supporting the actions and emotions on screen; it’s not intended to be heard for its own sake while the movie is screening. A concert showcases the music for its own merits.
“You hear it in the back of your mind, but then you listen to the soundtrack and you think, oh isn’t that fantastic.”
Respect for Film Music
Until recent years, film scores weren’t given the same respect as other musical compositions. Thankfully, that’s a misconception that has largely been abandoned.
Newnham points out the use of leitmotifs by composers like John Williams and Howard Shore. “Just like Wagner,” he notes.
“Ennio Morricone was actually embarrassed,” Michael says. “He had very contemporary avant garde music [training], but then because he had to feed his family, he started getting into commercial music and writing for film,” he adds.
Morricone had studied music at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome from the age of 12.
“Finally when he wrote his music for Once Upon a Time in America or The Mission, I forget which one it is, then he met [one of his former] professors, who said no, no, you’re wrong — you’re on the exact right path.”
Putting the Program Together
The full program for Darth Vader Meets The Godfather includes:
- Rota: The Godfather Suite
- Williams: Star Wars Suite
- Williams: E.T. Adventures on Earth
- Shore: The Lord of the Rings
- Morricone: The Untouchables
- Bernstein: The Magnificent Seven
“I found it pretty easy in that Orchestra Toronto has not yet done a film concert on its own,” Newnham says.
“First of all, John Williams is so iconic. You kind of start from there,” he says. He likens the process to that of programming any classical music concert, where you begin with a Beethoven or some other major work that can serve as a cornerstone.
“Like many people, my favourite film of all time is The Godfather, and I’ve always loved the music of The Godfather,” he says. He mentions growing up in a predominantly Italian neighbourhood in Hamilton, Ontario, where Italian culture was a daily experience. Nino Rota’s score to The Godfather incorporates Sicilian folk melodies that give it a distinct flavour.
“Darth Vader meeting the Godfather, and what would happen — I like that juxtaposition,” he says.
To the Star Wars Suite, he added Williams’ score for ET. “Another great score — I think that John Williams is really proud of his music for ET,” he adds. “There’s something about that score that makes you feel elated.” He mentions the sense of a childlike imagination, and those scenes with the kids on bikes that fly through the air. “The scoring is so beautiful and the melodies are fantastic.”
Morricone’s music was another natural addition to the program. “To be the master of melody is Ennio Morricone,” Michael says. “I could have chosen many things. I did choose the score to The Untouchables.” He notes its progression in three parts, from the rhythmic nature of the opening to the lyrical beauty and melancholy of the middle section, and the victorious character of the closing section.
He added the score to The Magnificent Seven by Elmer Bernstein to the mix. “Once you hear it, you know it. It’s the typical Western score,” he says. “It’s influenced by Copland; it’s sort of all-American. There’s that element of someone who’s Jewish and looking at the American West.”
Naturally, Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings music made it to the list. “We’re so proud of Howard Shore as Canadians.” His music can be appreciated well beyond the movie theatre. “We should be programming all kinds of Howard Shore.” Newnham chose The Fellowship of the Ring suite, with its recognizable leitmotifs that continue throughout the film trilogy.
The Rest of the Season
Exploration of the Soul — Tchaikovsky & Adler (March 1, 2026)
The program includes the world premiere of Four Attributes of the Soul by Canadian composer Yefim Adler, a work that incorporates both voices and orchestra. Guest artist include soprano Lauren Margison and tenor Scott Rumble, along with the Modern Sound Collective choir. Also on the bill is Tchaikovsky’s intense Manfred Symphony, op. 58, based on Byron’s metaphysical drama.
“Yefim Adler was a Toronto composer who came from the Soviet Union,” Newnham explains. Adler was an active member of Toronto’s Jewish arts community, and a prolific composer of music, particularly for choir.
“I got to know Yefim a little bit just before he passed away,” Michael says. Yefim’s son Serge is a member of Orchestra Toronto. There were plans to perform his works going back a few years, but the COVID pandemic sidelined the effort, and Adler passed away before they could take place.
Four Tributes of the Soul is scored for choir, soprano, tenor, and orchestra.
“It’s a big piece, and it’s about love.” Newnham says Adler was proud of the piece, and wanted it to be performed before an audience. “It’s melodic, it’s rhythmic, and it’s full of joy, and full of emotion.”
Tchaikovsky’s broodingly romantic work became a good choice to pair it with on the program.
“At the same time, because of Yefim’s background, originally as a Russian composer, there was Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony.”
These days, the Manfred Symphony rarely finds itself on orchestral programs. Based on Byron’s Gothic drama about a man who’s tortured by guilt, Tchaikovsky’s music is full of emotion.
“It’s written as a series of tableaux,” Newnham says. “I thought that juxtaposing those two composer would be really interesting.”
Pardon Our French — Ravel & Gershwin (April 19, 2026)
The program opens with Tailleferre’s Overture for Orchestra, followed by Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand, performed by pianist Michael Kim, and Gershwin’s An American in Paris, and closes with Ravel’s iconic Boléro.
“The idea is that it’s all based in Paris,” Newnham says.
There’s a kind of legend that when Gershwin went to Paris to study with Ravel, the French composer asked him how much money he made. When he learned the amount, he told the younger man, I think I should be studying with you!
“I just love that story, whether it’s true or not,” Michael states.
He points out that Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand is very much influenced by American jazz, and that, in turn, Gershwin’s An American in Paris flips that perspective around.
“Germaine Tailleferre’s overture, it has that bustle, that busyness that we associate with Paris.”
Resurrection — Mahler 2 (June 6, 2026)
Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” was considered controversial on its debut in 1895, and was an acquired taste for many audiences for decades afterwards. The Orchestra Toronto concert features guests soprano Leslie Ann Bradley, mezzo-soprano Simona Genga, the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, and RESOUND Choir.
It follows up on Orchestra Toronto’s performance of Mahler 6 a couple of seasons ago. As Newnham points out, the 100 or so member Orchestra Toronto has a big enough cohort to stage the large scale work.
“I wanted to do a full version that would incorporate everybody,” he says. He mentions the fine acoustics of the George Weston Recital Hall, albeit with some limitations when it comes to the size of the stage. “It’s a little tight to be doing Mahler’s Second, but I’m incredibly thrilled to be doing that.”
As Newnham notes, the Resurrection is enjoying a surge in popularity over the last few years. “It’s becoming a piece almost like Beethoven’s 9th to us,” he notes, also mentioning the fact that it was included in the popular Maestro film with Bradley Cooper just a couple of years ago. “It deserves to be played. It has a huge vision that’s all encompasing.”
It’s all the more remarkable that Mahler was a young man of 28 when he wrote it. “It’s so moving and inspiring,” he adds.
“The problem with doing Mahler’s Second is what do you do after?” he laughs.
That what makes it the ideal season closer.
About Orchestra Toronto
Orchestra Toronto was founded in 1954, and is made up of nearly 100 musicians. The organization was created by community musicians for the community, and its mandate includes fostering education and supporting emerging Canadian talent.
Pre-concert chats precede each concert.
- Find tickets for Darth Vader Meets The Godfather on January 24 [HERE].
- Find tickets for Exploration of the Soul — Tchaikovsky & Adler on March 1 [HERE].
- Find tickets for Pardon Our French — Ravel & Gershwin on April 19 [HERE].
- Find tickets for Resurrection — Mahler 2 on June 6 [HERE].
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.