Posted on 5 hours ago
Enjoying a pre-theatre meal in a bustling town centre an hour before start, there was a atmospheric buzz in the air, a palpable sense of anticipation as if many instruments were about to sound out in triumphant glory in homage to the greatest film franchise in history, before falling silent (until the next show at least).
The Star Wars geeks were certainly out in force and, yes, I proudly include myself in that faithful group. Excitement levels were rising as I was confident we were in for an auditory celebration of the orchestral genius of John Williams. And boy, was I right.
Taking our seats 8 rows from the stage and hearing the Hallé orchestra warm-up, a trained ear might have discerned famous Star Wars motifs embedded deep within the cacophony which only served to heighten excitement.
At the helm, presenter Tom Redmond, whose illustrious career has seen him previously play in the Hallé horn section for 13 years as well as collaborations with BBC radio 3 and The BBC Proms, brought great enthusiastic energy which fell in brilliant harmony with the geeky energy emanating from the audience.
As Tom introduced each section of the performance devoted to a particular episode of the space-faring-franchise, he did so with great humour, rousing laughter and amusement from all gathered. “May divorce be with you”, I’ll say no more here lol.
Naturally there was only one way to begin the set, and that was of course the spine tingling Star Wars Main Theme, whose opening explosion of sound has begun many of the numerous movie offerings throughout the franchise’s almost 50 year life span.
From there the orchestra beautifully traversed each episodes’ emotive and moving music in ascending order. Anakin’s Theme, conveying the innocence of youth yet spiked with a sinister undertone, feeling out his fateful and prophesied path through the movies really moved the emotion in me, which is the highest praise I can place on the Hallé’s undeniable skill and ability.
The ‘Duel of the Fates’ performance which included vocals performed by Nottingham’s Trent University Choir quite literally had the hairs on the back of my neck standing. A rare sensation music has the power to deliver and one which I never fail to embrace when it comes.
A huge salute has to be given to orchestra conductor, Stephen Bell, whose obvious energy and enthusiasm for classical music shone brightly as I witnessed him frequently leaping into the air to emphasise his control of the flow and pulse of the whole wonderful production. “The force is strong with this one”.
Needless to say, it was a fabulous night out and one which, whether you’re a fan of Star Wars or not, I can’t recommend experiencing enough. Bravo, Hallé Orchestra. Bravo.
Review by James Toomey
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