Preview: Elfman's "Serenada"

Danny Elfman's career as a film composer truly is a unique one. Completely self-taught, an instant hit and the scorn of his peers for a decade. Now, over $8 billion in worldwide box-office receipts later, after Grammy, Golden Globe, Emmy and Oscar nominations, Efman has branched from the cult pop-rock of Oingo Boingo, to the gothic grandeur of Batman to the concert hall, with his first commissioned piece, "Serenada Schizophrana".

Written for orchestra, female voices and electronics, "Serenada" was first performed in New York on February 23rd, 2005 at Carnegie Hall by the American Composers Orchestra, the piece received a positive review from the New York Times ("Mr. Elfman gave us music comfortable in its own world and highly professional in its execution ... The composer of this piece has an ear for symphonic colors and how to balance them.", Bernard Holland). It was later performed in San Francisco by the Redwood Symphony, before finally being adapted for the IMAX film Deep Sea 3D.

Elfman then took time to tinker with the piece before the score for Deep Sea 3Dwas recorded in Los Angeles. During additional sessions Elfman re-recorded the revised version of "Serenada" with John Mauceri conducting the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the FOX Newman Scoring Stage. It is this slightly revised "Serenada" that will hit stores on October 3rd from Sony Classical.

Here are clips from each of the 7 movements, plus an additional original piece "Improv For Alto Sax".

1. Pianos
2. Blue Strings
3. A Brass Thing
4. The Quadruped Patrol
5. I Forget
6. Bells and Whistles
7. End Tag
8. Improv For Alto Sax