Colorado Springs Philharmonic
Conductor: Josep Caballé Domenech
Date: October 29, 2016
As someone who has only seen a smattering of Star Trek episodes and movies, I wasn’t sure what to expect for this night of orchestrated music. Up until about Deep Space 9, I could recognize the opening themes for the different series, but anything after that would be new to me. I am a fan of a few of the early Star Trek films, as well as a few of the reboot ones (not Beyond, though), but only the newer ones have captivated me musically. Of course, that’s probably because I enjoy the musical stylings of Michael Giacchino.
While I can understand the heavier reliance on the music from the Star Trek movies, due to their ease of orchestration, the music from some of the episodes was equally as moving. This consistency and range really drove home that Star Trek isn’t about the action for which Star Wars is best known, but more about the exploration and human (or alien) emotional elements that bring us all together as citizens of the vast universe. Perhaps this is what makes it so relatable to its fans.
What really struck me about this collection of Star Trek songs was the common energy and atmosphere they all seemed to possess. I had never sat down and listened to the themes from each of the different Star Trek series, but I noticed that they all share the feeling of adventure brought forth in the brass section of the orchestra. What was even more interesting was recognizing similar musical motifs in some of the earlier movie scores that have been modified and adopted into some of the reboot scores. Needless to say, the spirit of Star Trek was present in all stages and interpretations of its 50-year saga.