One of the biggest film music festivals I love to attend is the one in Ghent, Belgium. It is associated with the film festival Film Fest Gent and is called the WSA Film Music Days. The WSA acronym stands for World Soundtrack Awards, which is one of the most prestigious prizes in the film music industry, and they were awarded for the 24th time during the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony held on October 16th. More events were happening during the WSA Film Music Days. In addition to the award ceremony, there was a James Horner tribute concert as well as many smaller talks and panels that could be attended.
Concerts
World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony
I have attended this ceremony many times over the years, even before Soundtrack World existed, and while many of the concepts have stayed the same, such as handing out the awards, the concert had been held in many different venues during the years: from the sports arena ‘t Kuipke to Capitole, which is a small theater in the city center. For this edition, however, the ceremony returned to De Bijloke, an old monastery converted into a music center, including a gorgeous concert hall. The concert started traditionally with music from the Young Talent competition, which fellow Dutchie Florian van der Reijden won. More awards were handed out during the evening, but I will not go into full detail since you can find the winners and the nominees on my dedicated WSA winners page.
The first wave of awards was followed by the music from last year’s Discovery of the Year winner, Simon Franglen. We could listen to a wonderful suite from Avatar: The Way of Water, which was different from the versions I had heard previously. The next part of the program focussed on the music of guest of honor Philippe Rombi. He is a French composer whom I know, but I had yet to really dive into his music. One thing I love so much about the WSA is highlighting the music of well-established European composers. His music was a delight, with gorgeous and emotional melodies from movies like Angel and Sous le Sable.
The last part of the first half was dedicated to lifetime achievement winner Elliot Goldenthal. Listening to his music is always exciting and a treat. His work is beautifully chaotic and great for experiencing live. It is also not easy to perform, but the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra is quite experienced with his music after recording an entire album dedicated to Goldenthal’s music, and it showed with the orchestra’s excellent play.
After the intermission and the award for Best Game Music, we continued listening to Goldenthal’s music. After a piece from the movie Titus, it was time for Elliot Goldenthal to receive his award. You could see that he was quite moved by the long-standing ovation he received. When he finally was able to sit down again, the orchestra performed his piece from Interview with the Vampire, which was a solid conclusion to his music for the night. After Natalie Holt and Jerskin Fendrix received their awards, for Television and Film Composer of the Year respectively, we listened to the final pieces from guest of honor Philippe Rombi. For this final part, he sat behind the piano to perform more beautiful pieces from his repertoire together with the orchestra.
Award shows often tend to be quite long, but the WSA ceremony has found a good balance between these awards with their speeches and the music. They have achieved this by handing out multiple awards in quick succession, between larger blocks of music. The music itself is always a treat, highlighting the incredible music from composers that you do not hear that often. It was also my first time in De Bijloke. It is a beautiful venue ideally suited for film music, as was showcased by the orchestra performance directed by maestro Dirk Brossé. It was an outstanding concert once again.
Concert information
Orchestra: Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé
Host: Carlo Siau
Guests: Philippe Rombi, Elliot Goldenthal and Simon Franglen
Vocalist: Jolien De Gendt
Programme
- Mansour, Mausold, Van der Reijden – Excerpt from The Witches
- Simon Franglen – “Orchestral Suite” from Avatar: The Way of Water
- Philippe Rombi – Angel
- “Overture”
- “Main Theme: The Real Life of Angel Deverell”
- Philippe Rombi – “Theme” from Dans la Maison
- Philippe Rombi – “End Title” from Sous le Sable
- Elliot Goldenthal – “Adagio (excerpt)” from Alien 3
- Elliot Goldenthal – “Main Title Fanfare” from Batman Forever
Intermission
- Elliot Goldenthal – “Arrows of the Gods / Finale” from Titus
- Elliot Goldenthal – “Born to Darkness / Lois’ Revenge” from Interview with the Vampire
- Philippe Rombi – “Hymne Des Fraternisés ‘I’m Dreaming of Home’” from Joyeux Noël
- Philippe Rombi – “Main Title” from Astérix: Le Domaine des dieux
- Philippe Rombi – “Suite: Overture & Love Theme” from Jeux D’Enfants
James Horner Tribute Concert
The James Horner Tribute Concert was the second concert on the program during the WSA Film Music Days. Unfortunately, I did not attend that one. As the title suggests, the concert was a tribute to the late James Horner, and from what I’ve heard from people who did attend, it was a fantastic experience.
Panels, intimate meetings and workshops
Panel discussions play a major role during the Film Music Days, as I witnessed last year. During these kinds of talks, people, like aspiring composers, can learn from industry veterans. During the panels, we could, for example, hear about the collaboration process between Elliot Goldenthal and director and partner Julie Taymor, or we could listen to stories about James Horner, told by his family.
This year, the organization tried something new by having more intimate meetings with their guests, in which they could talk in more detail about how they work in a smaller setting. I attended the one with Anthony Willis, during which he sat behind the piano and talked about his work, his creative vision, and the challenges he faced while doing it. The workshop I attended with Nanita Desai did the same, but she had her laptop attached to a screen and could visually show the small audience how she works. Both meetings were very informative, and it was an honor to have been able to attend.
Each year, there is also a Meet and Greet organized with guests being present. Each of the guests was standing behind a table ready for a small talk, a photo and a signature. Almost everyone was present, the big announced names, like Philippe Rombi and Elliot Goldenthal, but also many of the WSA nominees, like the Baldenweg siblings, Anthony Willis, Natalie Holt and many more. Even festival director and conductor of the orchestra Dirk Brossé found time to spend more than an hour of his precious time talking to the fans.
Conclusion
The World Soundtrack Awards have been around for 24 years already and have had their ups and downs in these years, with it going from the big sports venue about a decade ago with a big orchestra and choir on stage to the vastly smaller theater hall from last year. With the concerts this year being back in De Bijloke was a vast improvement, worthy of the quality of the orchestra and the music. As mentioned in this report before, but always worth repeating, the focus on highlighting music from European composers is significant. There is so much excellent film music to be found outside of Hollywood, and the WSA does an excellent job of promoting these composers.
Another aspect of this festival that I appreciate is that it focuses more on being a teaching platform, with the meetings and opportunities they give starting composers. Not only do they organize these intimate meetings and other events behind closed doors, but also, with the WSA being part of the bigger film festival Film Fest Gent, means that there are also many other important guests from the film industry present that they can meet or at least listen to during panels. The WSA Film Music Days, with the concerts and other events, is a great place to be each year when you are working, trying to work, or are just a fan of film music. Next year is the 25th edition, and I am excited about what this anniversary edition will bring.
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