Among his many musical accomplishments, Danny Elfman has the distinction of composing two of the greatest cinematic superhero themes of all-time: Batman, from Tim Burton‘s 1989 film and Batman Returns; and the main theme from Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man trilogy. This week, Lindsey Stirling and accomplished Chinese pianist Lang Lang paid tribute to Elfman’s Spider-Man theme with an epic collaboration you can watch above.
The video was stylishly directed by Joe Sill, who shot the entire thing in black and white. Lang even played a few notes from the ’60s Spider-Man cartoon on the piano before he and Stirling dived into Elfman’s iconic theme. The duo really captured the spirit of the original, including its triumphant notes and moments of melancholy. It’s one of those pieces of music that runs through the entire emotional gauntlet, and this was a very thrilling cover.
This cover is actually on Lang’s new album, New York Rhapsody, which is available for download through Sony Classical Music. The physical album will be released on September 16, with Lang’s covers of songs by Alicia Keys, Lou Reed and Don Henley, as well as pieces of music from West Side Story and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. As for Stirling, she recently released her third studio album, Brave Enough; which included “Something Wild,” a song featured on the soundtrack for the remake of Pete’s Dragon. Stirling has previously covered several video game and movie themes on her popular YouTube channel, so this feels like a natural progression.
What did you think about Stirling and Lang’s Spider-Man cover? Spin a web, any size in the comment section below!
Image: Universal MusicÂ
