Ghostbusters

CONCERT OVERVIEW

From Schirmer Theatrical, experience Ivan Reitman’s two-time Oscar and two-time Golden Globe-nominated film, screened live as an orchestra performs Elmer Bernstein’s Grammy-nominated score and Ray Parker Jr.’s Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping theme song, “Ghostbusters”!

Bring your proton pack and join the original paranormal investigation and elimination team as they capture their first ghost, Slimer, and encounter their first god of destruction, Gozer the Gozerian! Ghostbusters stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as eccentric parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City after their careers in academia go awry. The film’s co-stars include Sigourney Weaver as the Ghostbusters’ first client turned Gatekeeper, Rick Moranis as an accountant turned Keymaster, and Ernie Hudson as the Ghostbusters’ first recruit.

Peter M. Bernstein, son of the Academy Award-winning composer and an orchestrator for the film, joined Schirmer Theatrical’s creative team in reconstructing Elmer Bernstein’s brilliant score, which has been performed in dozens of cities around the world since the premiere performance in October 2018. As part of each performance, orchestras become honorary recipients of The Venkman Prize! Recognized as “the greatest award ever given in the history of classical music,” The Venkman Prize honors Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore for their service to the international community of symphonic musicians. 

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

We encourage orchestras to collaborate with Ghostbusters Fan Clubs in their area, all of which are registered charities. Clubs often act in marketing videos for social media promotion of the concert and set-up complimentary lobby displays, complete with proton packs and Ecto-1 replicas for taking pictures with the audience. Collaboration is an instant way to reach your local demographic of dedicated fans! View our Fan Club Directory to find your local Ghostbusters!

THE MUSIC

Elmer Bernstein’s reflections on the score, from the CinemaScore 1985 interview, “Elmer Bernstein and Ghostbusters,” with Randall D. Larson:

-“[Ghostbusters] was probably one of the most difficult jobs I ever had to do just to, and I don’t mean this as a pun, but to find the right note. The score was not easy. It was extremely difficult. Ivan Reitman and I must have talked on the phone every single day while I was working on it, just trying to help ourselves find the right approach.”

– “One of the reasons that the scores work is that I do not denigrate the film. I don’t try to do anything hokey, I don’t try to make the music funny. My theory is that if the comedy is working in the film, let the film do the comedy, and let the music get behind the emotion or the action, so as to add another element.”

-“It’s basically a very original film – I don’t think anybody’s ever seen a film quite like it! – and it walks a very, very fine line. Part of it is comedy, and yet you have to take the ghost business quite seriously. You have to believe, along with these guys, that the ghosts really do exist. Therefore the score also had to work a very fine line.”

Soundtrack Albums

In 2019, Elmer Bernstein’s film score was newly remixed and remastered from the original session recordings for release on CD, vinyl and streaming. The motion picture soundtrack includes four previously unreleased tracks that were cut from the film, plus liner notes by Bernstein’s son Peter who oversaw the remastering process. Immerse yourself in the symphonic music before you hear it played live during Ghostbusters in Concert!

To complement Bernstein’s score and set the tone of New York City in the ’80s, your favorite songs from the original Ghostbusters compilation album will all be heard throughout Ghostbusters in Concert as well! We believe it’s “Magic” when the Ghostbusters are “Savin’ the Day,” all “In the Name of Love.”

Score Review by Conductor Erik Ochsner

When you need a soundtrack which is both serious and funny; a musical score which moves us, makes us laugh and frightens us, “Who you gonna call?” – Elmer Bernstein! The ghostbusting parapsychologists are portrayed by their own ever-bumbling theme played by a honky-tonk piano (articulated with the oom-pah-pah of the tuba and enhanced by swirling woodwinds) which creates a Hollywood caper feel! The slippery, slimy paranormal beasts are perfectly portrayed by the ondes Martenot, whose natural portamento slides (or slimes) from note to note. For these live performances, a programed synthesizer plays the other worldly ondes Martenot part, while other eerie sounds are in the track. In Dana’s theme, the ondes Martentot gets trapped and transformed into serenading the oddball couple in what sounds like a moving, and oddly comforting, aria.

There are many small touches deeply rooted in classical orchestra tradition: counter melodies, flowing triplets on top of string lines, crescendos, which get the goosebumps going, plus full-on dramatic orchestral strikes from the brass and percussion. Plus, there are massive orchestral passages which are reminiscent of Bruckner and Messiaen.

In addition to the movements scored for classical symphony orchestra, there are several 1980s pop songs which are played from the track during the performance, culminating in Ray Parker Jr.’s well known song, “Ghostbusters” orchestrated to combine the orchestra and song. – Maestro Erik Ochsner, January 2022

FILM CREDITS

GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)
FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA
AN IVAN REITMAN FILM
MUSIC BY ELMER BERNSTEIN
A SCHIRMER THEATRICAL PRODUCTION<

COLUMBIA PICTURES Presents
An IVAN REITMAN Film
A BLACK RHINO/BERNIE BRILLSTEIN Production
Starring BILL MURRAY · DAN AYKROYD
and SIGOURNEY WEAVER
Also Starring HAROLD RAMIS · RICK MORANIS
Music by ELMER BERNSTEIN
Executive Producer BERNIE BRILLSTEIN
Written by DAN AYKROYD and HAROLD RAMIS
Produced and Directed by IVAN REITMAN

GHOSTBUSTERS © 1984 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

FILM AWARDS

• Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song “Ghostbusters” & Best Visual Effects, (1985)
• BAFTA recipient for Best Original Song “Ghostbusters” (1985)
• Grammy nominee for Best Album or Instrumental Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special (1985)
• Golden Globe nominee for Best Motion Picture, for Musical or Comedy & Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, for Bill Murray (1985)
• Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” ranked #1 in Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart for three consecutive weeks in August (1984)