Composer Alexandre Desplat will conduct the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. (Photo: Brigitte Lacombe)

The Wiener Konzerthaus comes alive with the sounds from The Secret Life of Pets under the baton of Alexandre Desplat, Oct. 14, when “Hollywood in Vienna” casts its magic over the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Desplat, the composer on the 2016 Universal Pictures animated film, produced by Studio Dentsu, will see his score’s concert world premiere broadcast on TV to 36 countries.

Taking place at the Vienna Concert Hall, “Hollywood in Vienna” will feature a gala during which Desplat will receive the prestigious Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award, presented by the City of Vienna.  The ceremony will be broadcast on TV to 36 countries.

Desplat is the eighth composer — following John Barry, Howard Shore, Alan Silvestri, Lalo Schifrin, James Horner, Randy Newman and James Newton Howard — to receive the prestigious Viennese award.

In addition, “Hollywood in Vienna” will showcase music from Argo, Julie & Julia, Lust & Caution, and  Rise of the Guardians. For the performance of the Academy Award-winning film music to The Grand Budapest Hotel the Swiss yodeler of the soundtrack, Ruedi Roth, will perform together with his Yodeling-Group, joined by a Russian ensemble with Balalaikas, Mandolin Players, Russian Dancers, a Male Choir and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Derya Türkan, the original musician who performed the Kemenche for Argo, will perform together with a Viennese oriental ensemble. Plus, German Pop and R&B singer Grace Capristro will perform the song “Still Dream” from the Dreamworks movie The Rise of the Guardians.

Vienna Concert Hall, the Wiener Konzerthaus

Other Desplat score portions that will be performed during the award gala include Girl With a Pearl Earring, The Imitation Game, The Ghost Writer, Godzilla and Harry Potter. Performers from the USA, Russia, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Turkey and from Iran will appear at the multinational concert.

The Hollywood in Vienna Gala will be performed by the world-class ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Keith Lockhart, chief conductor of the Boston Pops.

Alexandre Desplat will also give a Master-Class and talk with Q+A for composers and students at the respected University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna during the International Film Music Symposium Vienna (FIMU Vienna) on Oct 13 and Oct 14.

Hollywood in Vienna was founded in 2007 by Sandra Tomek (Tomek Productions). The symphonic gala concert celebrates classic and current masterpieces of film music. During the course of the gala concert, the City of Vienna awards one of today’s leading film music composers with the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award. The Viennese composer Max Steiner belongs to the most influential pioneers in the history of Hollywood movies and scored all-time classics like King Kong, Gone with the Wind and Casablanca. The award is meant to be a symbol of recognition for exceptional achievements in the art of film music.

For more information please visit Hollywood in Vienna.