It’s been a while since I updated this website. Once Covid got in the way of live concerts and traditional recording, it kept me from getting things to the finish line. But I kept very active during the last couple of years and now it seems that everything is reaching the finish line at the same time. I am also traveling again! So, I’ve been back in the recording studio, (as well as completing what may be the biggest and most complex remote recording project …ever!), I was back on stage, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, on July 22 and I’ve been adding a lot more miles to my various frequent flyer accounts. 2022 has been very busy indeed!
The biggest project of my pandemic period was The Abrahamic Symphony. In June of 2021 I was invited on board as an Artistic Director and Producer and a truly epic and historic project. I traveled to Abu Dhabi to take part in the press conference to announce the project in November of 2021. I encourage you to visit the Album page now created for this special release, if you would like to read the complete story behind this major new symphony commission. Featuring the music of David Shire, John Debney and Ihab Darwish, The Abrahamic Symphony album is now available.
I wrote forewords for two wonderful new books on the great Jerry Goldsmith. I started working with Jerry when I was just 19 and we ended up doing over 80 albums together, along with some very special concerts. I had no shortage of memories and things to say and share in each foreword to make them each utterly unique.
Jerry Goldsmith: A Musical Chameleon by Christian Aguilera is available in both Spanish and English editions.
On July 22, 2022 I produced and hosted a gala tribute to my dearly missed friend, the beloved composer Basil Poledouris. It was so great to finally be back on stage for a film music celebration, and such a personal one at that. The concert was the debut performance of the Los Angeles Film Orchestra and featured performances, appearances or special videos from conductor Steven Allen Fox, choir Maestra Marya Basaraba, special guest conductors John Debney, Christopher Lennertz, Mark Watters and Diego Navarro, with special guests Randal Kleiser John Frizzell, Don Mischer, Julia Michels, John Ottman, John Milius, Sandahl Bergman and special video guests Simon Wincer, Paul Verhoeven, Francis Ford Coppola, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Peter Weller. What a night this was! Photos and much more here:
Less that two weeks after the Basil Poledouris evening, I left for The Alagna Music Festival in Italy to premiere some new recital programs of music by John Williams, for flute (Sara Andon), cello (Cecilia Tsan) and piano (Simone Pedroni). This beautiful location, high in the Italian Alps, would take your breath away. And the music was beyond words.
Just a week after returning from Italy, Simone Pedroni traveled to Los Angeles for some very exciting recording sessions with Sara and Cecilia. More on this one in the next update.
On September 13 I was back in the studio for an exciting ballet project collaboration with the ballet company [Ate9].
Very excited to share more about this one next time.
On September 22 I traveled to Vienna to celebrate the return of Hollywood In Vienna and be part of this year’s Max Steiner Award presentation to Alan Menken. I had two days off in beautiful Florence and then headed to Rome to take part in the exciting first edition of Marco Patrignani’s Roma Film Music Festival. This was an absolute joy, and I was also so surprised to be presented with the Roma Film Music Festival Life Achievement Award for my Life In Film Music. As if that wasn’t already more than enough, I, along with my friends Ludwig Wicki, Diego Navarro and Robert Piaskowski were each presented with a limited edition Roma Film Music Festival baton and declared Chevaliers of the festival. Such an incredible honor. I am already looking forward to next year’s celebrations in Rome, as well as Vienna.
All through the summer I had recordings and video shoots for The Abrahamic Symphony continuing, until it was finally released on September 30, while I was in Rome. On October 7 the recording received it’s first award nomination from the Hollywood Music In Media Awards for Ihab Darwish as Best New/Emerging Composer for his Tolerance movement of the symphony.
After returning, I was finally able to prepare the files for this web-site update, before departing next week for Belgium and the 2022 World Soundtrack Awards in Ghent.
I promise that the next update won’t take so long!
Happy travels to all!
Robert Townson
