50 years and 23 films of Bond music

Bond at 50 takes place at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on Wednesday, 7 November at 13.15

The Royal Welsh College Orchestra will perform a special lunchtime concert this Wednesday to showcase the best of 50 years of Bond, James Bond’s music.

Bond at 50 will leave the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama both shaken and stirred with an hour of the most enduring tunes from the franchise.

Conductor Julian Bigg, who will be conducting the orchestra for the first time, is fully aware of the significance of the films’ music. “It’s so iconic and famous,” he said, “It stirs you in a way other music does not.”

“The difficulty was choosing which ones to do,” he admitted. With Moonraker, You Only Live Twice, Licence to Kill and the historic main theme being rehearsed there is plenty to whet appetites.

Julian Bigg leading the Concert Orchestra’s rehearsal in the beautiful Dora Stoutzker Hall

Everyone has an opinion about Bond. We all have a particular Bond actor who means the most to us, a favourite film and we all make our opinions known on every new theme. alt.cardiff wanted to know what the Concert Orchestra thought.

A poll was given to the members of the Concert Orchestra asking: what is your favourite Bond theme:

A) to listen to?

B) to play?

Here are the top three results from the RWCMD Concert Orchestra:

Listening:

1) Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey

2) You Know My Name – Chris Cornell’s theme for Casino Royale

3) Moonraker – Shirley Bassey

Bassey wins by a country mile and secures two of the top three places.

Playing:

1) Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey

2) Diamonds Are Forever – Shirley Bassey

3) Moonraker – Shirley Bassey

You just cannot keep Bassey down. Her reputation as the most iconic voice of Bond is safe. Maybe in years to come Adele can knock her off the top.

Alex Griffiths (flute), Chris Hart (trumpet) and Isobel Scott (violin)

Although Alex Griffith (flute) does not actually think she has seen a Bond film, she is looking forward to Bond at 50, saying, “It is a chance to lead such a huge sound.”

Isobel Scott (who has played the violin since she was five) attributes the popularity of Bond’s music to how many different composers, each with their own sound and style, can write a theme and yet it always sounds like Bond.

Chris Hart (trumpet) struggled to name his favourite Bond; he was caught between Sean Connery and Daniel Craig.