Blu-ray concert celebrates late 'Titanic' composer James Horner

Posted June 20, 2016 6:00 am

Sean Stangland

James Horner, the man whose music breathed life into Hollywood classics like “Titanic,” “Braveheart” and “Apollo 13,” died last June in a plane crash. To honor the anniversary of his passing, the annual “Hollywood in Vienna” concert series is releasing a Blu-ray of their 2013 tribute to Horner. Associated Press

The film world lost a master of emotional melody almost a year ago when James Horner's turboprop airplane crashed June 22, 2015, in California. His unforgettable themes for "Titanic," "Braveheart" and "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" live on, and you can hear beautiful renditions of them in a new Blu-ray release celebrating the prolific film composer's career.

Since 2007, the annual "Hollywood in Vienna" event has honored movie maestros with concerts performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. American film fans found out about these grand galas by falling down the YouTube rabbit hole, but now the Varèse Sarabande label is bringing the 2013 concert to life in high-definition.

"Hollywood in Vienna: The World of James Horner" arrives at retailers Friday, June 24, and presents the entire 2013 event, beginning with science-fiction selections from "A.I." (John Williams), "Independence Day" (David Arnold) and others before turning its attention to a program of Horner's best-loved work that includes a unique suite from James Cameron's "Avatar" and songs from children's favorites "An American Tail" and "The Land Before Time." Horner was on hand in Vienna to receive the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award, and the Blu-ray includes his speech as well as a 75-minute symposium in which he talks about his career and how he writes.

Perhaps if film music fanatics make this release a hit, Varèse Sarabande will be inclined to release more concerts in the series that has also honored John Barry ("Goldfinger"), Howard Shore ("The Lord of the Rings"), Alan Silvestri ("Back to the Future") and Randy Newman ("Toy Story"). This year's concert will be held in October and feature the music of Alexandre Desplat ("The Imitation Game").

"Hollywood in Vienna: The World of James Horner" retails for $29.99.

Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor. James Horner's music from the last scene of "Field of Dreams" always chokes him up. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.

“Titanic” is James Horner's most popular and acclaimed film score.

Movie producer Robert Katz, left, who grew up in Deerfield, poses for a photo with late film composer James Horner. They were both working on the movie “The 33,” which would be the last score Horner wrote before his death. Photo courtesy of Robert Katz

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