Danny Elfman: Percussion Concerto; Wunderkammer in Bloomington, MN

Quite a few film music composers have written concert works, and those are divided into two groups; some closely reflect the composer's film music style, while others engage with classical styles from outside that sphere.
Danny Elfman
, known for everything from
Tim Burton
's films to Desperate Housewives, splits the difference nicely here. His voice is recognizable, but in no way does one simply hear a pastiche of film music tunes. All three of the works on this 2024 release were written for specific performers:
Wunderkammer
for the
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
, the
Percussion Concerto
for percussionist
Colin Currie
, and the lovely final duo
Are You Lost?
for violinist
Sandy Cameron
. The
is a real find, with a large battery of tuned and untuned percussion mixing with the orchestra in an impressive variety of shades and relationships between soloist and orchestra. Sample the "D.S.C.H." movement, a nod to
Dmitri Shostakovich
. It is a darker work than the playful
, perhaps corresponding to
Elfman
's
Burton
and
Sam Raimi
scores. The extrovert conducting of
JoAnn Falletta
is ideal for these pieces, and it is indeed good to see her name on a best-selling album (this one made classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2024). The
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
gets put through quite a few paces here, and the orchestra sounds great, as does
Sony
's engineering in its home hall. A standout release of its type. ~ James Manheim