Composer and conductor Nicholas Buc is set to perform Alan Silvestri’s score of the 1985 classic ‘Back To The Future’ with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
The performance, which will take place at the Sydney Opera House, will feature Nicholas and the Orchestra playing the score for the film as it plays on a big screen. He is thrilled to have the opportunity to perform ‘Back To The Future’, a childhood favourite of his. “You couldn't send me a bigger dream project than something like this,” Nicholas says. “In general, [Silvestri] is one of the top five or ten A-list composers. Like all the great film composers, he certainly has his own signature sound and is pretty versatile. Most fans of his will first and foremost be fans of his blockbuster action music in which ‘Back To The Future’ was the very first.”
It has been quite a euphoric journey for Nicholas, who is only 34 years old. “I’m mainly a composer and I grew up with all the classic John Williams scores like ‘Star Wars’, ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘E.T.’. I also fell in love with all the 'James Bond' themes of John Berry. That kind of music as a kid really inspired me and made me want to be a composer. I got a scholarship to go do a Masters in film scoring as a composer at New York University which I finished at the end of last year. I sort of fell into the position of conducting about six years ago, but it went hand-in-hand with my incessant love of all things film and film music. I find dissecting it from both a conductor and composer's perspective really fascinating. That mix of film and music is something special. Almost all of the audiences that come and see this stuff always say that this is the way to see film.”
His journey has also led to him meeting Alan Silvestri in 2015. “I had the chance to talk with him at a performance of 'Back To The Future' in New York at Radio City Music Hall,” Nicholas says. “I got to speak to him for about half an hour about music. The thing I found most interesting was that this was actually his third or fourth film score, but his first orchestral score. He had basically never written for orchestra before. Steven Spielberg who was executive producer on the film apparently wasn't too happy about having this young kid who was about 34. For him, he really had to prove himself on this film. In my view I think he knocked it out of the park. It fit the film, has lasted the test of time, is iconic, and you hear the first three notes and it is unmistakably 'Back To The Future'. I think to be able to do something like that is pretty special.”
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Nicholas isn’t only tasked with getting the music right. “The biggest challenge is the issue of synchronisation. The film doesn't change tempo like an orchestra might. If that DeLorean hits 88mph, zips to the future and we're still playing, people are going to notice. The element of synchronising sound to picture is an interesting skill and one that you've got to have as well as getting the musical elements right.”
