Even the ‘most seasoned’ fans will get a new experience with ‘Twilight in Concert’
As a composer and conductor, music director Shelbie Rassler has long been a fan of live film concerts, where an ensemble plays the music of a movie while it simultaneously shows on the big screen. In fact, she conducted the “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” live concert tour last year.
But Rassler has been a fan of the sparkly vampire “Twilight” book and film series even longer. She was in middle school at the time the beloved movie series caught her full attention, and that spark of comfort still remains.
So Rassler can’t help but feel a special sense of connection to “Twilight in Concert,” coming to the First Interstate Center for the Arts this weekend.
“This tour feels like a dream combination of some of my own work experiences and bringing together orchestral music, pop culture, and cinematic storytelling,” Rassler said. “It’s all very exciting.”
As the tour’s music director, Rassler conducts the live ensemble and essentially leads the entire experience for the audience. She also plays the piano and saxophone when needed. In fact, she plays one of the most recognizable themes within the score, “Bella’s Lullaby,” on the piano while Edward (Robert Pattinson) also plays the song to Bella (Kristen Stewart) on screen.
“Getting to be the piano’s musical voice in that moment is really special for me,” Rassler said.
It is also Rassler’s job to make sure every single note is in time with the scene on screen. A special conductor’s screen assists in making sure the ensemble stays synchronized and hits certain queues.
“My main role is to ensure … that the energy of our live performances really match the emotional journey on screen so that our audience has a very cohesive cinematic experience,” Rassler said.
The first film within the series was released in 2008, but the first book was released 20 years ago in 2005. Being a part of this anniversary celebration and helping to bring the Twilight experience to other fans holds special meaning for Rassler.
“It’s just so exciting to get to relive this awesome story and also get to share it with the fandom across all generations,” Rassler said. “It’s just a huge celebration of the start of this epic saga.”
Between the motifs within itself to the energy created by an emotionally charged score right before the audience, “Twilight in Concert” provides a fresh perspective.
“It’s sort of a larger-than-life film about vampire and werewolves, but there are also these relatable themes like love or feeling like you don’t belong in a new place or discovering your identity and so many people can respond and relate to these types of themes,” Rassler said. “Having the live music there just immersing the audience in this world, it really does feel like a brand-new experience, even for the most seasoned Twilight fans.”