BINGHAMTON PHILHARMONIC PRESENTS A FANTASIQUE HALLOWEEN

Halloween is around the corner, and the macabre becomes the norm across the United States.

The air is full of the sounds of witches cackling; we are surrounded by the sight of ghosts and ghouls, and wear masks to obscure our faces. This Halloween, the Binghamton Philharmonic presents Fantastique Halloween, bringing us music that celebrates our captivation with the ghastly.

Fantastique Halloween will fuse popular culture with classical music. Although the pieces are entirely classical, the format is more along the lines of a pops concert. The program contains recognizable and otherworldly pieces: music that blurs the border between life and death, good and evil.

The title of the show is drawn from the Symphonie Fantastique, and the fourth movement of that piece, the dramatic March to the Scaffold, is a main feature. It is a historically important piece, as it is an early example of program music in the Western tradition. As you listen to the march unfold, you can hear the plodding steps of the protagonist as he makes his way to the scaffold, in front of a crowd cheering for his death. The last thought of his love before the guillotine drops, and the bouncing of his decapitated head, are visible through the notes alone.

Other pieces include the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens, Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas. These pieces were integral parts of my animated childhood. The classic PBS 1980s cartoon created around the Danse Macabre is indelible in my memory, as are the phenomenal interpretations of Disney’s Night on Bald Mountain and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. As a child, they were the first time that I wondered about the ‘otherside’- the ghostly and the magical creating an imprint on my young mind.

The most recognizable selection of the night will be Bernard Hermann’s Suite for Strings. The title is unassuming, but as soon as you hear the opening barrage, you will be transported into the movie Psycho, and all of the terror and suspense that goes along with it. Just try to take a shower afterwards.

The night is special in other ways, as it showcases one of the newest members of the Binghamton Philharmonic. Rachel Miller, resident harpist, will be showcasing her talent on André Caplet’s The Mask of the Red Death, which is a musical interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story. The story, which grapples with the inevitability of death, is masterfully transformed, with the harp acting as narrator, hauntingly moving the listener into the abyss.

Fantastique Halloween is accessible, and offers an alternative celebration to the standard mayhem. It is a chance to relive the joys and frights of Halloween, instead of solely partaking in the debauchery that surrounds the holiday after you can’t trick or treat anymore. There is an element of nostalgia, of returning to childhood wonder. The soaring arrangements of the works will push the boundaries of your soul, and get you into the right mood for the holiday. It is a fun program, full of spooky pieces that will make the ghouls squirm in their seats.

Fantastique Halloween will take place at the Forum, located at 236 Washington St. in Binghamton, at 7:30pm on Halloween (Saturday, October 31st). Tickets are available online, ranging from $20-$45, at binghamtonphilharmonic.org, or at the Forum’s box office. Student tickets are available for $10, with a valid college ID. The building will be decorated in Halloween splendor, and all are encouraged to come in costume. This is an all-ages event.