My Cultural Diet

It’s pretty safe to say that Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is my favorite movie of all time. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it over the years, but it never fails to draw me into its detailed and highly stylized world. I’m hard-pressed to think of another movie with a visual style that’s so captivating. As it turns out, though, the only thing that’s as captivating as Blade Runner’s visuals is its atmospheric and eclectic score, courtesy of Vangelis. Thus, it was a truly special treat to watch Blade Runner with live musical accompaniment courtesy of The Avex Ensemble, who pull off Vangelis’s score perfectly with an 11-piece band. I’ve never actually seen a live accompaniment quite like this before, but as soon as I heard that first booming percussion during the opening sequence, I knew I was in for something special. There were one or two moments when the live music threatened to overwhelm the movie, but I attribute that more to a mixing issue than the performance. More often than not, I simply forgot that I was watching a movie with live accompaniment. That’s how good the Ensemble’s performance was, from the opening sequence to an exhilarating rendition of the end titles theme. Finally, special kudos to the vocalist — sadly, I can’t seem to find her name anywhere — who nailed the Middle Eastern chants heard on “Tales of the Future.”

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