MSO - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in Concert: Review
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Thu 10 Mar 2022 - Sat 12 Mar 2022
It's year six at Hogwarts. Teenage hormones are running hot, and love interests become a part of daily life. About a third of the way into
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , there's a scene where Hermione rushes from the room because her chosen one, Ron Weasley, only has eyes for Lavender Brown. She's sitting on the steps, sobbing, the moment made more poignant by the sad, soulful music in the background. Not immediately recognising the instrument, I looked from screen to orchestra - of course! The harp! The sound was so pure it made the hair on my arms stand up. The violins join in, intensifying the emotion of the moment.
Film with a live orchestral soundtrack lifts any movie to another level. It's easy to take the music for granted when you're seeing a film in a purely cinematic setting, but add the orchestra, and suddenly you realise just how many instruments are involved in creating the sound you're hearing. Sometimes it's hard to know whether to look at the screen or the musicians during the performance, but having the orchestra performing live in front of you undoubtedly enhances the overall experience. You're absorbed by the film - but suddenly there's a soaring flute passage, or an emphatic bass drum phrase, and you are drawn back to the orchestra.
There were approximately 60 musicians of the MSO's 80 current members performing last night, giving a rousing, rich, joyful and very listenable performance.If the MSO's objective in hosting films with orchestral soundtracks is to make orchestral music more widely accessible, they have more than succeeded. There was no mistaking the audience's appreciation for the musical performance, as indicated by the applause at various passages through the film, and the rousing ovation at the end. The MSO in this performance was led by Nic Buc, whose freshness and passion were evident.
In this live environment, there were a few instances where the volume of the music overwhelmed the dialogue. However, the movie was subtitled, so there was no difficulty following the story.I loved this experience, though I have to admit a bias towards enjoying and appreciating pretty much anything the MSO has to offer.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ In Concert takes place at
Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall.If you want to see it, you'll have to be quick as there are just
two performances remaining:**- Friday 11 March 2022 at 7:30pm; and
- Saturday 12 March 2022 at 1:00pm.
Ticket prices range between $70 and $170**.
Click here to buy your tickets online, or call 1300 182 183.The running time is 2 hours and 53 minutes including a 20 minute intermission. The film is rated M (fantasy violence).For more information on the event, please
click here .To keep up to date with the MSO's upcoming events, including their performance of
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ Part 1 in Concert scheduled for later this year, check out their
website , and follow them on their
Facebook page .
All images in this article were supplied by the MSO.
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!date 10/03/2022 -- 12/03/2022
%wnmelbourne
124635 - 2023-06-13 01:50:07