eone (probably his wife or son), went through Mr. Holland's private papers to find the Opus he had written, photocopied it and had the entire band practice it without Mr. Holland's permission or knowledge. Then they expect him to conduct it cold turkey in front of the auditorium.
shareYes, that's a leap of faith that the viewer has to make. It helps, I suppose, that the piece is not really a symphony in any traditional sense. It's set to a rock beat and is fairly predictable in its chordal structure (well, it's really the theme music of the film, isn't it?). Had it been a demanding piece with tempo and time changes, the premise would be much harder to accept.
And, yes, the other issue is the secrecy with which the whole thing must have been achieved--rehearsals at times and in places where Holland would not have been expected. They could hardly have rehearsed at the school--he seemed to know everything that was going on at the school at the end of his career.
Yes I agree regarding your assessment of his supposed Opus. It is too short and has a pop feel and is rather bland. And though the movie is a delight and well written I've never been impressed with the ending and seeing what 30 years of supposed midnight hour writing produced.
shareThey knew where the opus was, it was on the piano. Also, they knew he wouldn't mind. This was all a planned surprise retirement celebration for him. He's going to object to that?
shareyeah nobody said it was a secret everybody knew about it
shareLater in the film when Cole is in the living room listening to Ray Charles' "I've Got a Woman" as Glenne and Iris overhear, notice the symbolism when the camera pans over what is written of the symphony on music staff paper. That should be a tell tale sign of something to come later. Not to mention it is Glenne's first love: composing.
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