Symphony to Perform During Dracula Saturday

The spooky sights of Halloween will be accompanied by the haunting sounds of the Westfield Symphony Orchestra this year, when the group plays a new soundtrack to the 1931 Bela Lugosi classic, Dracula, Saturday at 8:00 pm at Westfield Presbyterian Church.

The fully-professional orchestra will play excerpts from famous classical works to accompany the film, which will play on a 20-foot screen behind the orchestra.

“The music is made up of a compilation of famous symphonic orchestral music, ” Musical Director and conductor David Wroe said. “It’s a set of 25 to 30 musical excerpts drawn from the orchestral repertoire of the 19th and 20th century.”

Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique,” Wagner’s “Ring Cycle,” Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony and one of Mozart’s symphonies will be among the musical selections sampled during the performance.

The film itself is a “talkie.” The dialogue will play along with the music from the orchestra, which will help set the mood and fill in the silent portions of the film similar to a modern soundtrack.

“It was an interesting and concerted effort to bring this movie alive in a new way,” Wroe said. “We felt that it would be an ideal event of family entertainment for people who like classical music, classic movies and want to get into the spirit of Halloween.”

To complete the Halloween feel of the evening, the orchestra is sponsoring a Halloween costume contest for those in attendance wearing their fright-night attire. The contest will be held during intermission with three cash prizes of $200, $75 and $50.

The second half of the concert will be a performance of Saint-Saeans’ Symphony No. 3, with Barbara Thomson as the organ soloist.

The Westfield Symphony Orchestra has been in existence for nearly 30 years, and is the second largest fully-professional orchestra in New Jersey. The orchestra draws musicians from the New York City Opera as well as various other professional ensembles in the area, according to Wroe, who is also the resident conductor at New York University.

Tickets are on sale from $25-$70 and can be purchased at the box office in person on 224 E. Broad Street or by calling (908) 232-2400. Discounted tickets are available for $10 to K-12 students.

Additionally, a free pre-concert lecture by Dr. Shuang Goe Wroe will precede the event, starting at 7:00 pm.