Hitting the high notes

For composer and conductor Allan Wilson, pursuing music as a career initially seemed unlikely. Today however, he is the baton behind some of the most well-known soundtracks. Zenifer Khaleel met the maestro who was in Abu Dhabi recently for the Magical Music of Disney concert.

It never occurred to Allan Wilson that he could take up music as a career till a fellow player from his local Easthamp Symphony Orchestra suggested it. From humble beginnings as a player in a string quintet in his dad's Saturday morning music school to orchestrating and conducting musical scores for films and television, Wilson has hit the high notes in life with ease. He is internationally famous as a specialist studio conductor and orchestrator and works regularly for producers and studios from both sides of the Atlantic.

Wilson has been working in the music recording industry since 1982. Having studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, he went on to teach conducting and orchestral training at the Fredonia University of New York where he was awarded a Master of Music degree. He has given many lecture recitals in Britain, the US and Canada and has played the trumpet in many orchestras worldwide.

He was in the UAE recently for the first time to participate in the Magical Music of Walt Disney Concert with The London Philharmonic. Over a cup of hot green tea, he discusses the high and low notes of his life.

I discovered myself by playing music. There is something that transpires between musicians and the audience that can't be explained; it can only be experienced. Although the baton doesn't emit any sound itself, it guides all the wonderful notes that are produced. It doesn't control the musicians but it moves with them, guiding the individual musicians of an orchestra to work as one.

My family is very musical too. My wife, Hillary, plays the oboe. I have two daughters. The elder one, Charlotte, is a professional flautist. Juliette plays the oboe like her mom and is doing a course in marine biology. I am blessed with a very understanding family. I am always travelling and am never at home enough but we are still very close knit.

I believe my life has hit some of its high notes while conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra. It is the privilege of any conductor to conduct the Philharmornic. It has got the best set of musicians.

Even today, listening to one of Stravinsky's compositions from 1919 puts a lump in my throat. Classical is the life blood of music. It provides wholesome nourishment to the body and soul. I would say a classical recital is a gift to the audience because melody tugs at your heart strings and makes you full emotionally. Children who are brought up with some classical music influence will be happier and more cheerful in their lives. As babies, my daughters were made to listen to Rubinstein and it had a soothing effect on them.

I have had the privilege of working and associating with some wonderful people from all over the world. As a result, I have developed some wonderful relationships. I guess my place in the grand scheme of things would be to make people sit up and listen to music.

I thoroughly enjoy being in recording studios. It is a very demanding, high-pressure job. Each cue has to be perfect before you can move on to the next one. The time element is also important because time is money. Sometimes a particular piece of music just pops into your head but otherwise, it takes a long time for a composition to be born. So making music is challenging but exhilarating.

In England, it has become a norm for games to have orchestral music. In car racing games, electronically designed music is more appropriate. But in fantasy series such as Harry Potter and Star Wars, the music enhances the mood of the game. Gamers want reality. It is a great platform to innovate because the music is dictated by the player. It is triggered by how well the player performs. Gaming music has slightly shorter cues. The Philharmonic has recorded for all the Harry Potter games.

Soundtracks of video games are just as popular as the film's soundtrack. One of the first soundtracks to hit the stores was from a game called Head Hunter.

The concert is mainly targeted at the younger generation so they can experience an orchestra while enjoying the indelible charm of Disney. We have orchestrated the music in a way that is more acceptable for them. The aim of the concert is to introduce young people to symphonic music.

We have included all-time favourites such as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Incredibles and we finish the concert with a jig from The Pirates of the Caribbean. The concert is aided by the visuals from these movies as well.

Walt Disney has changed so many people's lives through animation. There are things you can do in animation that cannot be done in movies with real people. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first full-length cartoon movie and it went on to win an Academy Award. Disney has revived so many classics. An average child would say Snow White or Cinderella were written by Disney (instead of Hans Christian Anderson). Disney introduced an element of magic to renowned children's stories and endless possibilities for the imagination with his cartoons, films and theme parks. Even today, the child in me takes over whenever I visit Disney World.

That was about three years ago. We recorded about seven hours of music. There were other composers from Bratislava and Slovakia. We did a lot of original music and a lot of classics such as Scheherazade. It was a great experience for me and I had heard nothing like it (Arabic music) before.

About six years ago, I came to know of a man called Stewart Sharp. He was using private funds to create a musical piece called Angeli. It was triggered by the death of his newborn son. He was having visions and music was playing in his head. Before that he had no interest in music. With the help of his friend, he managed to get his music into an electronic format. There were three sections in his piece Spirit of Pinewood, Angels in the Sky and Living in Pine Forests. All these pieces were guided by the images in his mind. I felt this was one of the most original pieces I had ever heard. I orchestrated and recorded it. The music is not complete yet. Some producers have approached Sharp to make a movie about his life.

It would have to be Bambi. It is a childhood favourite which became an all-time one of mine. Of the recent movies, I like Aladdin and the music in The Lion King is amazing.

I would like to carry on with what I am doing and want to work more with the Philharmonic. I hope the financial crisis diffuses soon so that we can have more concerts again. I want to try and get the younger generation to appreciate classical music, to introduce them to real music and to enjoy the essence and goodness of life.