Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton (2025)

DANNY ELFMAN’S MUSIC FROM THE FILMS OF TIM BURTON
Music composed by Danny Elfman
Music conducted by John Mauceri
Performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
Adult choir: Barzz – Chorus of Game Music Specialists
Children’s Choir: NHK Tokyo Children’s Chorus
Special violin performance by Sandy Cameron
Concert produced by AMP Worldwide, Richard Kraft and Laura Engel
April 26, 2025
Tokyo International Forum Hall A
Tokyo, Japan

PART 1: JACK IS BACK

After a six-year hiatus, Danny Elfman is back in Japan to perform live a program of his most popular music from the films of Tim Burton.

The program for this year’s concert was identical to the one he performed in Tokyo in 2016 save for the swapping out of a suite of music from PLANET OF THE APES for the main theme from Netflix’s WEDNESDAY. 

And as with the previous concert, musical suites from each film were performed by full orchestra and choir while short film clips and pre-production sketches by Tim Burton were projected onto a large screen.

PART 2: THE FIRST HALF

Highly respected conductor John Mauceri, who has conducted most if not all of the Elfman/Burton concerts worldwide in the last decade, came out on stage to a hero’s welcome.

Sporting a smart black suit and bright red socks, he quickly got the evening started.

The “Main Titles” from CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY kicked off the evening while a montage of film clips from Tim Burton’s legendary oeuvre played on the screen.  Despite missing the synth effects and live theremin from the original recording, it was still a fine performance that set the bar for the rest of the night.

The theme from BATMAN was played as a short transition piece before a magnificent suite from PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE was performed.  This fun and boisterous suite featured a loud whistle which I believe was pre-recorded as I didn’t see anyone on stage blowing one.

I sure wish Elfman had sung the opening “Day-o” part from the “Main Titles” for this performance of BEETLEJUICE!  

He has secretly voiced narration from behind the stage during past THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS: LIVE IN CONCERT performances in Japan, so I was hoping he’d do something similar here. But alas, it was not to be as the bass section of the choir took on the part.

In any case, it was still a fiendishly fun performance marked by an unstoppable percussion section.  I would have preferred a stronger horn section when the main theme made its entrance, but this nitpick might be due to how it was amplified in relation to the rest of the orchestra. 

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Mauceri then took to the microphone to introduce himself and explain what we’d be hearing for the night.  He told us that we’d be treated to music from fifteen films spanning thirty-seven years of creative partnership between Elfman and Burton.  

He then finished by stating that we would next be hearing the darker side of Elfman’s work for Burton.

Calling the suite from SLEEPY HOLLOW “dark” would be quite the understatement.

It began with the “Young Ichadbod” theme which was performed with haunting beauty by two boy sopranos. We then moved to a short fragment of the stupendous “Main Titles” complete with its unsettling shimmering effect on the strings.

Featuring a synth theremin, this performance of the “Main Titles” from MARS ATTACKS! highlighted the weird and wacky nature of Elfman’s score to the film. The piece ended with the film clip showing an alien’s head explode, but for some unknown reason there was no reaction or applause from the audience…

Despite loving the film, I’d never been a big fan of the score to BIG FISH. Its breezy vibe and subtle themes had never really made that much of an impression on me.

But the night’s performance was somehow different. For the first time I could actually connect with the love theme because it was amplified in a way that made it sound present and near. Gentle acoustic guitar and lone violin also appeared throughout to give the suite added warmth and charm.

I definitely need to give this score another spin!

The suite from BATMAN/BATMAN RETURNS was tremendous on every level.

Opening with the truly iconic “The Batman Theme” from BATMAN, it then moved to the exciting “Up the Cathedral” and Tchaikovsky-inspired “Waltz to the Death.” 

But what I had really been waiting to hear was “Descent into Mystery,” which had blown me away the first time I heard it performed live almost ten years ago at this very same venue.

Accompanied with the scenes from the film for which it was scored, “Descent into Mystery” was two minutes of film scoring gold – the build up with the percussion and choir, the tubular bells tolling away, and the eventual appearance of the Batman Theme in all its heroic glory was pure and utter ecstasy. I had nothing but goosebumps here and the suite was only halfway finished!

It was now time for music from BATMAN RETURNS to shine, and boy did it deliver with its stunning performances of both the anguished music for Catwoman and the tragic theme for the Penguin.

But the orchestra had saved the very best for last: the “Finale” from BATMAN, live-to-picture. 

This is a textbook example of how film music can elevate a film and inspire audiences to act, which in this case means wanting to become Batman himself.  In this performance, the lead up to the climax was slightly different from the original album recording, but it was no less effective in stirring our emotions and making us root for Batman and his quest to rid the city of crime and keep its citizens safe.

PART 3: THE SECOND HALF

I am embarrassed to say that prior to the concert I had never actually seen WEDNESDAY nor heard Elfman’s main title music, so hearing it for the first time was quite a treat.  

As expected from Elfman, the piece was deliciously dark and featured cello and synth harpsichord.  It also included what I can only describe as abrasive synth choir bursts – to be honest I’m not really sure what it was, but that’s what it sounded like to these ears.

I also noticed a string run during the piece that is highly reminiscent of Elfman’s SPIDER-MAN theme – it’s the moment the piece builds up and you hear the strings kind of cascade up and down before the main heroic theme appears in all its glory (my apologies – as I don’t have a music background, you’ll have to excuse my rather primitive description!)

I adore TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE – it’s an unheralded masterpiece that deserves much more recognition and acclaim.

The suite started with the main titles before segueing into “Victor’s Piano Solo,” the gorgeously melancholy piano piece performed in the film.  The orchestra’s pianist gave it slightly differently phrasing from the original, and ended the piece with a full-blown classical arrangement of the theme.

We then heard “The Wedding Song,” which was sung in English.  While I greatly enjoyed the orchestra’s performance of the music itself, I really wish it had been sung in Japanese – it just would have sounded more natural coming from the predominantly Japanese choir.

(As a side note, I would kill – pun intended – to see the whole film performed live-in-concert someday!)

The film clip from DARK SHADOWS was the film’s prologue that shows Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) throwing himself off a cliff after witnessing his fiancée killing herself.

The music was perfectly dark and frantic, making me think – albeit quite briefly – that the movie was much better than it actually was (sorry Tim!). 

Starting with the “Re-Animation” scene and music from FRANKENWEENIE, it was thrilling throughout with the orchestra going wild to match the chaotic scenes in Victor Frankenstein’s lab.

It was then followed by scenes and music capturing the loving relationship between Victor and his dog Sparky. The music here was full of tenderness and beauty, and really made you feel for the characters of this fantastical tale.

If people hadn’t primarily come to hear Elfman perform the songs from THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, then they had definitely come to hear his timeless music from EDWARD SCISSORHANDS.

Opening with the instantly recognizable “Introduction,” we were immediately cast under a spell as Elfman’s gothic fairytale soundscape filled the auditorium.

“Storytime” followed, introducing us to that deeply melancholy, yet endlessly listenable main theme performed by the choir and orchestra.

The scene showing a heart-shaped cookie being made in the lab was then shown to the machine-like orchestral strains of “The Cookie Factory.” As “The Inventor” comes to the realization that his greatest creation needs a heart, the music slowed to allow that gorgeous main theme to return.

As a quick breather before the emotional knockout of “Ice Dance,” famed violin virtuoso Sandy Cameron came out on stage to treat us to an incredible show of her talents on the violin.

Dressed in a black Edward-inspired outfit with tight black pants, she instantly wooed the audience with her precise yet animated style of playing as she pranced and moved across the stage.

It’s hard to pinpoint what piece in EDWARD SCISSORHANDS she was riffing on, but that didn’t really matter – it was an incredible performance that just blew us away.

The orchestra’s acoustic guitarist, who backed Cameron during her performance, certainly had his work cut out for him but he more than rose to the occasion, so hats off to him!

When the piece ended, Cameron quickly left the stage like a fairy disappearing into the night.

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It was now time for THAT piece, the one that brings everyone to tears and makes them thank the stars for being able to hear music of such stark and heavenly beauty.

I am of course talking about the orchestra’s performance of “Ice Dance,” Elfman’s most iconic piece that has been copied and emulated countless times since it was first heard almost thirty-five years ago.

Opening with celeste and harp delicately setting the scene, strings and choir soon entered, rising slowly as the main theme took shape. When the theme had fully formed, it was then unleashed through the majesty of the full choir to create a moment of pure emotional ecstasy. With scenes of Winona Ryder twirling blissfully under the falling flakes of ice, the audience could do nothing but swoon.

When the piece came to an end, it was met with dead silence for we had all been broken emotionally and paralyzed by what we had just seen and heard.

When the applause finally came, you could feel the emotional weight being lifted, and our hearts moving again.

After the emotional onslaught of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, it was now time for something light, ghoulish and fun, and what better way to achieve that than bring out Jack Skellington from THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS himself: Danny Elfman!

Needless to say, the audience went crazy when Elfman finally graced the stage.

Decked out in a black pinstripe suit with a deep crimson shirt and dark tie, he immediately cast a spell over the audience with a fabulous performance of “Jack’s Lament.”  This was followed by the show-stopping pieces “What’s this?” and “Poor Jack,” with short score cues acting as transition pieces between each song performance.

What can really be said about Elfman as a performer on stage? In addition to his impeccable timing and incredible vocal range, he literally becomes the characters he is singing.  As Jack Skellington, he marches across the stage as if his legs are as long as tent poles. And he grins, winks and contorts his face as if he was the Pumpkin King himself.

During the three songs he sang during the suite, you could feel and see that emptiness in his face, his awe and excitement at discovering Christmas town, and that painful regret after realizing he has ruined Christmas. That he performed these songs in English to a predominantly Japanese audience didn’t matter – his physical and vocal embodiment of these emotions made it abundantly clear what he was singing about.

And oh, that wicked Skellington laugh… how can you not love it?

The whole suite only made me want to see THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS: LIVE IN CONCERT again… 

PART 4: THE ENCORES

The first encore for the night was “Alice’s Theme” from ALICE IN WONDERLAND, which had vocals that were performed to perfection by a young boy soprano from the NHK Tokyo Children’s Choir. 

It was sweet watching Mauceri lead the boy out on stage and conduct the orchestra while facing him to ensure he was OK during the performance. 

My only issue with this piece is that I wish the percussion had been louder and sounded more like a call to arms as it does in the original recording.

In any case, the piece ended to tremendous applause, but there was no standing ovation because we all knew the night wasn’t over yet.

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And sure enough, Elfman and Mauceri graced the stage together once more for a final encore: “Oogie Boogie’s Song” from THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

Hamming it up like there was no tomorrow, Elfman immediately had the audience in his pocket, charming them with winks and grins and his mischievous take on that wildly infectious song.

I just couldn’t get enough of that jazz-infused cabaret style complete with its rowdy jazz bar piano stylings, sleazy sax parts and dance hall percussion beats.  You really couldn’t help but want to get up and dance to it all!

Capping it off was a surprise performance by conductor Mauceri himself, who donned a Santa hat midway and turned to Elfman/Oogie to deliver the classic line, “Release me now or you must face the dire consequences!”

The encore ended with Elfman and the orchestra holding the final note as the audience went beserk with applause.

And with that we all got on our feet and gave Elfman and the orchestra the most passionate standing ovation I have witnessed at a Japanese concert in ages.

PART 5: CONCERT MERCH

Shut up and take my money… again!

As I had heard that some of the merch had sold out pretty quickly at Elfman’s last concert, I made sure to get to the venue extra early. 

I bought all that I could afford and squeeze into my backpack which included the beautifully designed program, tote bag, glow-in-the-dark t-shirt, smartphone hand strap, and… the official Elfman/Burton dog tag (come on, tell me you don’t want one!)

As no concert posters were on sale, I had contemplated liberating one from the lobby… hehe

PART 6: OVER TO YOU

Did you also go to this concert? How did you like it?

And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.