A Framework for Understanding Moving Image Music Concerts: Repertoire, Reception and Recontextualisation

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of moving image music concerts, focussing on the live orchestral presentation of music from film, television, and video games. With orchestras increasingly turning to such concerts to attract new audiences, this research seeks to understand what happens when music originally composed for audiovisual media is recontextualised for concert performance. Drawing on an interdisciplinary approach which includes archival study, interviews, and audience surveys, this study considers how the presentation and reception of moving image music differs when divorced from the source text’s typical mode of consumption. Through a detailed analysis of various concert presentation formats, from more typical modes of orchestral concert presentation (Music Only) to entire soundtracks performed in synchronisation with screened media (Live Accompaniment), this thesis examines the implications of such recontextualisation. It also investigates how this shift challenges traditional views of music’s role within moving image media, suggesting a potential re-evaluation of the hierarchy between visual and musical elements. The thesis is divided into three parts: Part 1 provides a foundational understanding of the concert presentation of moving image music, addressing the different modes of performance, the historical development of moving image music in orchestral repertoires, and the practical aspects of concert creation. Part 2 explores the recontextualisation of music from specific media forms – film, video games, and television – by means of case studies that investigate how music’s function in the source media influences its presentation and reception in the concert hall. This section also assesses how repertoire selection can shape audience perceptions and highlights the evolving relationship between music, text, and context. Part 3 ties these findings together by exploring how the live concert environment disrupts the traditional reception of audiovisual media, thereby shifting audience perceptions. The study seeks to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding moving image music concerts, while also considering the impact of recontextualisation on both the music itself and its audience. This study proposes a thorough typology and categorisation of presentational formats, and the scholarship surrounding moving image music concerts is expanded to thoroughly consider television music concerts. It demonstrates how recontextualisation alters audience perceptions and highlights the complex interplay between music and visual elements when removed from their original context. In addition, this thesis provides a framework for understanding moving image music concerts, suggesting tools with which to critically engage with these performances, consider the motivations behind programming choices, and appreciate the logistical efforts involved in their production.