Haunting orchestral music to be played by candlelight in Yorba Linda

Is there an cinematic instrumental song more iconic — or more unsettling — than the theme to John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic “Halloween?” The synthesizers pulse in five-quarter time rather than the more common three-quarter time, letting the listener know that something is amiss. The piercing notes of the theme from “Psycho” are similarly unnerving, the sharp string sounds calling to mind the plunging knife in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film. The haunting “Danse Macabre,” by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, is a classical take on the spooky song, inspired by a poem from Henri Cazalis about an ancient superstition involving Death playing a fiddle to inspire the dead to dance up from their graves.

Those recognizable horror anthems are part of the program macabre music lovers will hear at “Candlelight Yorba Linda: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics.” Hosted at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, the event from global entertainment company Fever will present a live musical performance of Halloween-themed music in a candlelit setting on Oct. 30 and 31. The show is part of a series of Candlelight Concerts Fever is bringing Orange County.

“Candlelight reimagines the orchestral concert experience to attract a broader audience, including those new to classical music,” said Wyatt McNeil, project manager at Fever.

In November, Fever will bring a “Tribute to Metallica,” a “Tribute to Coldplay” and ”the Best of the Beatles” to the same venue. The concerts are designed to make orchestral music more accessible to wider audiences, which McNeil said the company achieves with a few accommodations.

“We shorten performances to a more accessible 60 minutes, host them in unique venues beyond traditional concert halls and offer a diverse repertoire, from classical masterpieces to themed shows like Halloween and tributes to contemporary artists,” McNeil said. “There’s a show for everyone.”

A Halloween-themed classical music performance at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum will feature songs like “Funeral March of a Marionette” and Danny Elfman’s theme from “Beetlejuice.”

(Courtesy of Fever)

The added element of candlelight isn’t just for the spooky season. The soft lighting makes the cinematic music even more moving and sets the mood for a variety of music types. A show planned for early November at the Neighborhood Congregational Church in Laguna Beach will highlight the compositions of German film score composer and music producer Hans Zimmer.

“The ambiance of Candlelight, coupled with our talented local musicians who engage directly with the audience and share insights about the music, creates an intimate and immersive experience,” said McNeil.

The performance will include the aforementioned tunes as well as “Funeral March of a Marionette” by Charles Gounod, the theme from Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and a medley from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

The Oct. 30 performance of the show is already sold out, but tickets for two Oct. 31 performances, one at 6:30 p.m. and another at 9 p.m., are still available. Attendees must be 8 years old or older, and anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are priced between $42 and $76 and can be found at feverup.com.