Eastwood Symphonic

ABOUT THE CONCERT

The tall stature and sharp-featured face. Who could possibly fail to recognise this true film legend, major personality of world cinema, American producer, director and actor Clint Eastwood? The Oscar and Golden Globe award-winning Eastwood has contributed a range of fantastic films to the silver screen archives, not only as a charismatic tough gunslinger, but also as the much-loved thoughtful outsider. All of this made him one of the highest-grossing movie stars in the 1960s. It’s hardly surprising therefore that a concert bringing together the music from Clint Eastwood's films should rank as one of the most anticipated events at this year's Prague Proms.

Following on from the Grammy Award success of our orchestra, we joined the Eastwood Symphonic Project in supporting Kyle Eastwood to pay tribute to his father.This all-embracing and unique concert will walk audiences through the most essential classics featuring in Eastwood's films, while also honouring the brilliant actor.  A CD recording of the music will also be made. The Eastwood Symphonic concert will take place as part of the Prague Proms festival on 21st June 2023 and will form part of the 2023-2024 world tour. Leading the Czech National Symphony Orchestra will be conductor, film music composer for more than 160 films and television productions, as well as Grammy Award winner Gast Waltzing. Kyle Eastwood and his quintet will naturally be the highlight of the evening, not to mention the world tour. One of the most important contributors to the project, the son of the celebrated actor is a talented jazz bassist, composer and arranger of film scores including Gran Torino, Invictus and Letters from Iwo Jima. Joining Kyle Eastwood will be Andrew McCormack, Brandon Allen, Quentin Collins and Chris Higginbottom.

On the programme audiences can expect to hear hits from the cult films A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Unforgiven and The Bridges of Madison County.

The event will be held at the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House.

Concert with video projection.

PROGRAM

Eastwood's Ouverture (for symphony orchestra)
Composer: Ennio Morricone, John Williams, Clint Eastwood, Michael Stevens, Kyle Eastwood, Arr. Jean-Jacques Mailliet

Magnum Force (1973)
Director: Ted Post
Composer: Lalo Schifrin

Dirty Harry (1971)
Director: Don Siegel
Composer: Lalo Schifrin

The Eiger Sanction (1975)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Composer: John Williams

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Composer: Lennie Niehaus

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Composer: Clint Eastwood, Arr. Kyle Eastwood

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Composer: Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens

Bird (1988) (for jazz quintet)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Composer: Charlie Parker

Changeling (2008)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Composer: Clint Eastwood, Arr. Kyle Eastwood

Gran Torino (2008)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Composer: Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens

Unforgiven (1992)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Composer: Lennie Niehaus

A Fistful of Dollars / Per un pugno di dollari (1964)
Director: Sergio Leone
Composer: Ennio Morricone

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly / Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)
Director: Sergio Leone
Composer: Ennio Morricone

PERFORMERS

Czech National Symphony Orchestra

Gast Waltzing, conductor

Kyle Eastwood Quintet
Kyle Eastwood, double bass and bass guitar 
Andrew McCormack, piano
Brandon Allen, saxophone
Quentin Collins, trumpet
Chris Higginbottom, drums

CNSO - Czech National Symphony Orchestra

Over the past 30 years the Czech National Symphony Orchestra has grown to become one of the leading Czech ensembles, currently ranking among the most highly sought-after orchestras in Europe. Its glowing reputation can be attributed to the members’ versatility, performing a wide range of genres, spanning classical works, film music and jazz, as well as musicals, which attract large domestic and international audiences.

Notable conductors, composers and film directors who have been collaborating with the orchestra or who worked with them at concerts and in the CNSO Studio in Prague include Lalo Schifrin, Pino Donaggio, Giuliano Taviani, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, Quentin Tarantino, Vince Mendoza, Giuseppe Tornatore, Carl Davis, Steven Mercurio, Marcello Rota, Vladimir Cosma, Christian Lindberg and Chick Corea.

We should also mention the valuable and long-standing collaboration the orchestra enjoyed with the legendary Ennio Morricone (1928-2020), involving studio recordings and a series of concerts performed on numerous European tours.

Successful tours have taken place over the British Isles, USA, Canada, France, Spain, Dubai, Japan, Mexico, China, Korea, Oman, Australia and New Zealand.

Kyle Eastwood

Kyle is Clint’s son, but first and foremost a talented jazz bass player and composer of music for movies, among which Gran Torino, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima and Invictus. He is the author of eight albums, the last of which, Cinematic, is a spin-off on cult movie themes. Kyle Eastwood’s quintet sublimates Gran Torino’s ballad, gets Pink Panther to swing and grooves with the Skyfall theme song.

After the release in 1998 of his very first record as a group leader, From There to Here, resolutely anchoring his references in the golden age of orchestral 1950’s jazz, Kyle Eastwood spent most of the years during the first decade after the new millenium constantly pushing back the frontiers of his musical universe. With a growing list of albums that are just as eclectic as they are refined, he stated with great elegance and know-how the extent of his musical tastes, flirting successively with cool and sophisticated electro-jazz, a resolutely groovy and smooth type of jazz, reminiscent of the sound of the seventies, all the way to arty, chic and urban, subtly cross-bred manifestos. Enriched by this scholarly exploration of the trends of contemporary globalized pop music, Kyle Eastwood seems to have found his own path, a return to a more direct, lyrical and melodious type of jazz.