‘The Matrix Live’ at Symphony Hall, July 14

By Collin Kelley
Editor

Composer Don Davis has an impressive line-up of film and TV credits for which he has written the score, but The Matrix trilogy is still his calling card. This Saturday night, July 14, at 8 p.m., Davis will be conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as it “live scores” the first film at Symphony Hall.

The Matrix begins the story of Neo (Keanu Reeves), a young computer programmer who realizes that his entire life has been nothing but a computer-created simulation. He’s contacted by a band of hackers – led by  Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) – who reveal that rogue computers have taken over the planet and use humans as, basically, batteries. Humans who have escaped are fighting to bring down the matrix and free the enslaved population.

The film will be shown on a large screen at Symphony Hall and Davis said he worked with Warner Brothers to create a new print of the film that has the musical soundtrack removed, but retains the dialogue and special effects. Since film music usually comes in short bursts and variations, Davis had to create bridges and new cues in his original score to make the soundtrack continuous.

“It was a tremendous amount of work, but I  really think fans of The Matrix are going to love this,” Davis said from his home in California. “The excitement of the live performance matched with the film is so unique.”

Live scorings of The Matrix were a hit in Europe – including one at London’s Royal Albert Hall – but this is the first time Davis has been involved. Along with Atlanta, Davis is touring The Matrix Live to Seattle, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Chattanooga and more to be announced.

“As many times as I do this, it’s still a thrill for me,” Davis said. “Working with fantastic orchestras never gets old.”

Tickets are still available via Ticketmaster for the event at this link.