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Bill Conti
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Music Director
ACADEMY Award winner Bill Conti returns to the orchestra pit (乐池) for the 15th time as musical director of Oscars 2001.
How many pieces are in this year's Academy Awards orchestra?
"There are 50 musicians and 16 singers."
What are the essential instruments necessary to the Academy Awards orchestra?
"I think I preserve the essence of what moviemaking has been and still is with those musicians and singers. It sounds, to me, wonderful and representative of what movies are all about. So, could I skinny it down to, say, something like what the David Letterman band is? Could it be done? Yes, it could be done. You could do it with a very small amount of musicians. But you wouldn't get the impact of a big night in Hollywood. It's production value. That orchestra and that sound mean something to the grandeur ... in moviemaking."
Has your perception of the Oscars changed over the years?
"Well, I must admit that, in the very beginning - my first Oscar show to do was 1977 - I was scared to death. Because you can't prepare for this show ... (in terms of music) there's no other show like it on television ... So, I was really beside myself ... Over the years, I kind of know how it goes. But I will admit that, for the first half-hour, I am really on my toes and concerned and nervous. What I have to worry about is 30 minutes into the show, when it begins to feel like, 'Oh, this is the way it always goes,' that I can't let up. That feeling like I really want to relax. I have to guard against that. Because it's still live and anything can go wrong and usually does."
Describe the Academy Awards without music.
"It's like watching a movie without the soundtrack (电影配乐). How do you do that? The music is the emotional message carrier. The music goes into a non-literal part of you and touches a nerve. It would be bland without it. I think that's undeniable. Nietzsche (尼采) has a great quote. He said, 'Without music, life would be an error.' Music touches people in ways that they don't even know. They don't even have a clue as to what it's doing ... The person that doesn't have music in his life is, I think, the odd man out. I don't think it's essential for life. But as Nietzsche said, it would have been a mistake."
(SD-Agenices)
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