Stirring times for fans of Bond themes

Being asked to write a James Bond theme can seem like a poisoned chalice, reports the Yorkshire Post.

Stray too far from the blueprint and the critics' knives will be sharpened by the end of the first chorus. Fail to inject enough originality and, like poor old Chris Cornell and his theme for Casino Royale, your name will never be mentioned in polite company again.

"When it comes to 007 everyone has an opinion," says Gareth Hudson who this weekend will conduct an evening of James Bond music.

"Fans feel a sense of ownership over the music and woe betide anyone who dares to mess with it.

"The difficulty is finding a balance between putting your own stamp on the theme and preserving what everyone loves about the original. It must be a terrifying prospect."

Much more enjoyable was revisiting the entire score of all 22 films and deciding just how to splice them into a two-hour concert. Ignoring temptation to revert to chronological order, Hudson, who conducts the Orchestra of Opera North, was also determined it shouldn't be just an instrumental performance.

"The themes need vocals," he says. "When anyone thinks of Goldfinger, they think of Shirley Bassey and it's impossible to hear Live and Let Die without hearing Paul McCartney. For me it was unthinkable not to have singers on stage.

"It's about keeping the audience entertained and weaving instrumental pieces between the big numbers."

In the history of James Bond, there's one man whose name is synonymous with the franchise's rousing scores. While Monty Norman is officially credited with writing the original theme tune, it was York-born John Barry who gave the scores their unforgettable edge.

Composing the music for 11 films, beginning with Dr No in 1962 and ending his association with Bond with The Living Daylights in 1987, Barry handed the baton onto David Arnold.

"There are always people who think the music has gone downhill since Barry stopped writing the scores, but I'm not so sure that's true," says Hudson.

"Naming the best score is always going to be subjective, but for me it has to be On Her Majesty's Secret Service. As a film it's often overlooked because not many people rate George Lazenby. But in terms of the music it's hard to fault."

Alongside the classics, the gala concert, part of Leeds International Concert Season, will also feature the live premiere of Jack White's Another Way To Die from Quantum of Solace.

"They have taken the Bond theme about just as far as it can go," says Hudson.

"Another Way To Die is right on the edge of being heavy metal and I think if I was a producer, I would want a theme which had the potential to be a number one single. However, what's great is how successfully they have managed to reinvent the character in the last two films. While I would probably have to say Sean Connery is my favourite, Bond now has much more emotional range.

"I'm sure Daniel Craig has been successful because he reminds people of a rough- round-the-edges Connery and the writers have managed to develop a much more three-dimensional character. Bond has a cross-generational appeal and hopefully that will be reflected in our audience this weekend."

# James Bond, Shaken Not Stirred, Leeds Town Hall, November 30. 0113 224 3801, www.leedsconcertseason. com

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