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Behind the Scenes: Amadeus Live
What does it take to prepare the CSO Chorus for a live performance of a synchronized film score?
The Columbus Symphony Chorus, critically acclaimed for their exceptional performances with superb balance and confident, powerful voices, are experienced in a wide range of expansive choral works from Bach to the 21st century. But singing the score of the classic 1984 film Amadeus, synchronized perfectly with the on-screen action, presents a special challenge for these all-volunteer singers.
We asked Chorus Director Dr. Stephen Caracciolo to explain how he prepared the group for this massive, nearly three-hour performance that requires precision, focus, and endurance.
What is the biggest difference between preparing the Chorus for these performances of Amadeus Live vs. a more typical concert?
Amadeus is a completely unique period drama-comedy, and the fantastic music is part of the film’s dynamic storytelling. The preparation has been a fun and engaging task for the Chorus, and the main difference is the Chorus will be performing only short excerpts of music by Mozart and other composers [Antonio Salieri, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi] instead of whole movements and works. Several of the excerpts may last for only a handful of seconds. The Chorus mastering the cues for when to jump into the mix–and in the right key–is part of the challenge.
The film Amadeus is 160 minutes long, but of course the Chorus does not sing for the entire runtime. How do you prepare them for this marathon performance, including all the focus required to keep track of dozens of cues?
Part of the preparation comes by way of drilling the movie’s dialogue cue for each entrance. In addition, the pitch for each choral entrance may be heard in an orchestral introduction that only lasts for a fleeting moment and the Chorus has learned to respond quickly. In other instances, the Chorus will need singers with pitch pipes to give them pitches ahead of an entrance because there is no pitch cue from the orchestra ahead of the entrance.
Chorus Coordinator Lauren Grangaard and Accompanist Casey Cook help prepare the Columbus Symphony Chorus in a rehearsal for Amadeus Live.
Is this production technically challenging for the Chorus? Or is their job (as with other concerts) to just watch the conductor and follow his lead, while he handles remaining in sync with the film?
[Principal Pops Conductor] Stu Chafetz’s job is immense; there is no other way to state it. He must have the entire movie with its musical excerpts completely memorized. We will be relying on Stu’s excellent timing for all the entrances, and individual movie clips posted on YouTube have been very helpful for fine-tuning entrances.
Near the end of the film, there is a famous scene where Mozart dictates the Confutatis movement of his Requiem to Salieri, who is helping him complete the work. This allows the audience to experience how Mozart composed music one layer at a time. What is it like for the Chorus to present this famous music in this ‘deconstructed’ form?
As a composer and arranger myself, I find that scene to be the most exciting of the movie. Yes, the screenwriter has created a fictional scene in which Mozart is dictating individual choral and instrument parts to a copyist (in this storytelling, Salieri), and the audience has the opportunity to peek in on how a genius composes music in real time as it unfolds in front of them on screen. Completely thrilling and entertaining!
Stephen Caracciolo is the Chorus Director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and is a conductor recognized for his passionate artistry and creative leadership in interpreting a wide range of the choral repertoire. For twelve years he was a professional choral bass at Washington National Cathedral where he also served as the cover conductor for masses, choral evenings, and special services. Known nationally as a composer and arranger, Caracciolo’s choral works are performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Dr. Caracciolo concurrently serves as Artistic Director of ProArteOHIO, Central Ohio’s premier professional vocal ensemble. Caracciolo holds a doctoral degree in conducting from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, a master’s degree in conducting from Westminster Choir College, and a bachelor’s degree in music education from the Capital University Conservatory of Music.
