“Based on our music event, UNKNWN, after nearly 3 years, we discovered our communities are yearning for more meaningful and cultural experiences. Inspired by the film concerts happening around the world, we thought it was the perfect way to engage our communities even more. Film concerts feature full-length movies with their soundtracks performed live by a full-piece orchestra. We at CC:Concepts, are excited to offer a new form of live entertainment experience in Manila.” – Celine Ferros, Co-Founder & Marketing Director
 
CC:Concepts was thrilled to present this full length film concert of Call Me By Your Name, based on the novel by André Aciman, directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by James Ivory. In fact, this was the film’s world premiere in concert, with its score played live by The Manila Symphony Orchesta in SM Aura’s Samsung Hall.

“We at CC:Concepts, are all bound by the love of music. This production is our first that isn’t focused towards electronic music but because of our shared appreciation, it was natural for us as it promotes a new and unique live music experience, something Manila deserves. Instead of just hearing it, you feel it. The orchestra accelerates all your emotions. It is a new experience for most people so the excitement and anticipation of that, really intensifies the energy in the room.” – Emel Rowe, Co-Founder and Event Director
 
Call Me By Your Name: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features the compositions of Ryuichi Sakamoto, John Adams, Erik Satie, Johann Sebastian Bach and Maurice Ravel. It also includes songs by The Psychedelic Furs, Franco Battiato, Giorgio Moroder, Loredana Bertè, Bandolero, Joe Esposito, F.R. David, and Sufjan Stevens whose original song “Mystery Love” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

“Experiencing live music and watching a film are both human and powerful ways of connection. We identify our emotions in different art forms. When a full-piece orchestra plays the score live of a critically acclaimed and well loved film, expect a heightened experience like no other.” Celine Ferros , Co-Founder & Marketing Director
 
Inside Samsung Hall, guests eagerly filled their seats, curious for what was in store for us. The Manila Symphony Orchestra sat front and center beneath the screen, ready and well-rehearsed. Most of the time during the entire film, the audience nearly forgot that there was a full orchestra right in front of them – that is how fluid and integrated the performance was. As the skilled Manila Symphony played their instruments, you could really feel the power, intensity, and intent of the music. The live score added a new layer to the viewers personal understanding of the film, allowing the audience to appreciate the movie from a different perspective.
 

"Music at its best is emotionally charged and visceral experience. There is nothing that compares to the experience of a live symphony orchestra playing the most emotive scores in cinematic history accompanying the film they were created for.” - Katrina Razon,  Creative Director

CC: Concepts shared more about this exciting endeavor:
 
As this is the first time we’ve had something like this in the country, what challenges did you face? What did you learn along the way? 
 
“It's the first Hollywood film concert in the Philippines and the first in this format for Call Me By Your Name worldwide. It took us almost half a year in planning and promoting. Luckily, we have extensive experience in the music events industry. Putting up the event was manageable, but definitely the first time we had to deal with an orchestra and everything related to the film. We were learning something new every single day! We encountered major challenges because of the newness of the form of entertainment. Certain equipment and technologies weren't available in the country!” – Celine Ferros, Co-Founder & Marketing Director

“We worked with great professionals who, from meetings and setup to pack down, have been nothing but efficient. With Adam (Weisman) and Troy (Choi), the video and audio engineers we flew out from the US—we have nothing but praises for them. They adapted to what we had here and made it work. Juno (Oebanda) and his team were equally dedicated to what we wanted to do. The Manila Symphony Orchestra was so hardworking. We sat through all the rehearsals and saw how much effort they exerted to get to where they were on stage during the show. We had our eyes on the prize, and that is to deliver an experience that will drive our audience to want more of this.” – Samantha Nicole, Co-Founder & Production Director
 
 

Of all movies out there to have selected, why did you pick Call Me By Your Name?
 
“We have always been fans of Luca Guadagnino's work. We chose Call Me By Your Name because it is a staggeringly beautiful coming-of-age story. Its eclectic soundtrack is a driving force throughout the film, almost enacting the role of a narrator. Love is love no matter how you slice it.” - Katrina Razon,  Creative Director
 
“It’s a story about first love, one that many can relate to. The soundtrack is cross-genre—from classical to italo disco and pop. It bridges a lot of gaps for a lot of people. Aesthetically, the film is eye candy. And of course, getting with the sign of the times. It’s a critically acclaimed queer film and what better way for us to show our solidarity and support than to have this movie?” – Samantha Nicole, Co-Founder & Production Director
 
 
CC: Concepts has more exciting projects in the pipeline so stay tuned for 2019!