Photo courtesy Esin Aydingoz

“Here’s to the hearts that ache, here’s to the mess we make,” whispers Emma Stone in the devastating audition scene of the iconic romance-musical “La La Land.” For the first time since the movie’s release in 2016, you can experience that powerful love story in a dark theater again, but this time with its music at the forefront. 

On Nov. 1 at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, Grammy-nominated Turkish musician Esin Aydingoz will conduct a highly anticipated staging of “La La Land in Concert.” 

Aydingoz, who arranges and composes music for film and TV, will conduct a full orchestra and jazz band totaling between 65 and 80 musicians, who will play the film’s famous score alongside a live screening of the film. “La La Land” tells the story of Mia, an actress, played by Stone, and Sebastian, a jazz musician, played by Ryan Gosling, falling in love while trying to make it in the arts industry of Los Angeles. It took home six Oscars back in 2016, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song. 

In an interview with Student Life on Oct. 17, Aydingoz discussed the pressure of presenting the score just right, the feeling of conducting a massive ensemble of musicians, and the Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer of “La La Land,” Justin Hurwitz, asking her personally to conduct this concert. 

“[La La Land] was actually the first ever film me and my husband watched at the movie theater,” Aydingoz said. “When Justin asked me to conduct this, I think I literally wrote back to him in two minutes. I was like, ‘Justin, I would die! Thank you! Yes!’”

Aydingoz is no stranger to audience expectations, having previously conducted orchestral performances of “Coco” and both the animated and live-action versions of “The Lion King” films. Aydingoz noted that audience expectations are not intimidating, but invigorating to her as a conductor. 

“All of these four movies [‘Coco,’ both ‘Lion King’s, and ‘La La Land’ are] so loved and there’s such a huge fan base. It’s a guaranteed good show because even when there are small hiccups with our performance, let’s say, the intonation isn’t great, the movie is so beautiful that it’s still a magical experience.”

As a conductor, Aydingoz’s role is to provide a unique sound and to demonstrate the changing emotions throughout the film.

“Any energy that I bring in plays a role in what sound I receive from the orchestra,” Aydingoz said. “I feel like my energy and my movement [shapes] silence and makes the musicians play. I try to be in the movie, and if it’s a sad scene, I shouldn’t be like, ‘Ha ha ha, this is great.’ I have to feel it, and however many musicians are in front of me, I should help them feel it too.”

Aydingoz describes her role as a “policeman.” She has to tell each of the dozens of musicians when to come in and out, which for some performers includes up to six minutes of interludes between their own parts. In her personal score, Aydingoz keeps track of each entrance and exit and also has to flag moments of difficulty that require her utmost attention.

“In ‘La La Land,’ there are so many moments where Ryan Gosling is playing virtuosic piano pieces, and for the magic to happen, we have to really nail the synchronization aspect of those,” Aydingoz said. “So I spend a lot of time listening to those scenes so that [we] can really nail it. But of course, it’s not just about me, it’s about the pianist, how much he’s prepared or she’s prepared, and then us being in the moment and creating that synergy with the movie.”

“I feel like the beauty of the soundtrack is also in how many different genres there are in it, because you hear musical theater songs,” Aydingoz said. “You’ll hear gorgeous jazz pieces. You hear intimate chamber orchestra-type romantic cues. But then you also get pop, … so there is something in it for everyone.”

Aydingoz has conducted a number of shows throughout her career, and she emphasized just how invigorating it is to present to a joyful audience. 

“I could feel the energy of 3,000 people behind me cheering for the character,” Aydingoz said. “And I’ve never witnessed that kind of love before. And I know it’s not for me, it’s for the movie  … but having the responsibility to bring joy to that many people? That makes me fly, and it’s a whole other level of happiness that I’m just beginning to learn.”

The film is over two hours long, and the concert presents even more music and interludes than are available on the movie’s official soundtrack. Aydingoz listened to the entire score over 45 times to learn the film’s music and tempo changes before even beginning to make notes in her score. 

Aydingoz ended up working closely with Hurwitz, the film’s composer, over the course of her preparation for this concert. 

“I’m such a detail-oriented person in my own composing and arranging work. I care about every single part of every single instrument. Justin [Hurwitz] is the same. We had this two, three-hour Zoom call … and we went through the whole score and he told me what matters to him. … So I really enjoyed working with him and I’m so grateful that he gave me the time to do that. And when he did this [show] recently in Los Angeles, … I also got to see the rehearsals. … So seeing his process, to me, that’s the most magical part.”

Aydingoz prides herself on being as accurate as possible throughout the film. Aside from some jazz moments when the musicians improvise a little each night, she aims for the score to be as perfectly matched to the movie as possible.

“People are not coming to see my interpretation of it. If you do classical music, the audience comes to see your version of it. And in the film music world, we do justice to the concert if we try to be as close as possible to the original. But what’s beautiful about our concerts is music is at the forefront, they mix it in a way that music is louder. So I feel like me and the audience, we get to enjoy the film in a new way that we haven’t before.”

Aydingoz said she normally practices with just the music from the film. When she is conducting the movie with its full audio, however, the emotional scenes add an emotional wrinkle for both her and the audience.

“I’m like, ‘Esin, baby girl, you can’t focus on the dialogue right now or you’re gonna cry.’”

While arranging and composing can be fun, Aydingoz finds the most happiness in getting to share in a common musical experience with the thousands of people watching her show each night. 

“Even if I’m scoring the world’s best movie, I want to share it with people and I want to see their excitement of consuming that art. And there is something gorgeous about not just doing music, but music needing acting and dancing or animation or whatever it is. At the end of the day, I like contributing to something bigger than me. … In conducting, what is so beautiful is you share it with the orchestra, and you also share it with the audience.”

“This is something I can’t ruin. I have to be playing my A-game and any problem that occurs, I can’t be responsible for it. … But once I’m there with the orchestra and once they play the first note, it’s such an incredible feeling. You forget your fears and you just fly.”

This will be Aydingoz’s first time conducting in St. Louis, and she will be available after the show for anyone wishing to meet her.

See “La La Land in Concert” on Nov. 1 at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Tickets available now.