The audience were certainly well-informed, dressed in costumes and carrying their lightsabers.
I was delighted to attend Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi in concert at Hamer Hall, accompanied by the sweet sounds of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Australian composer and conductor, Nicholas Buc orchestrated the immersive concert experience. He has a background in classical music and has contributed significantly to the symphonic music scene in Australia. Buc has composed music for feature films, documentaries and TV series and his compositions mix orchestral traditions with contemporary elements to enhance the visual storytelling.
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To start the show, he engaged with the crowd by playing examples of Princess Leia’s theme song, originally created by John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra. He cracked a few witty jokes and made the audience laugh. Then, the lights dimmed and we heard the beautiful instruments begin to play the Star Wars theme song.
The orchestra was split into sections: brass, strings, woodwinds and percussion. The violins, cellos and double basses took the downstage. The flutes and oboes were in the middle with the piano and the harp and drums took the back row.
The brass carried the main melodies and created the bold and majestic sounds through the trumpet, french horns and trombones. The strings played the harmonies and countermelodies to bring out the richness of the music. The percussion included snare drums, bass drums, cymbals and a xylophone. These instruments were mainly used for dramatic moments to really accentuate the rhythm of each song.
The orchestra crescendoed through the dramatic scenes, as when Luke says his famous line “I’ll never turn to the dark side”.
Looking around the room during the interval, we noticed the right half of the stage lit up in blue and the left in red. The Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire flags were hung on each side. The ceiling was separated by the dark and light side with blue and red crystals hanging down and star lights projecting on the side of the walls. The atmosphere really made it feel as if we were in the movie.
Now, we’re very excited for the MSO’s next intriguing Star Wars experience as The Force Awakens comes to the concert hall with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Witness John Williams’ epic score performed live while you watch the thrilling story unfold on the big screen.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert is coming to Hamer Hall on May 22, 23 and 24. Get tickets to that one while they last here.
