Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a massive Star Wars fan so when I heard that the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra were doing The Force Awakens I immediately jumped at the chance to attend.

The event organisers did a fantastic job creating an exciting atmosphere prior to entering the theatre. Walking up to the Palais Theatre, I was greated by two giant lightsabers, Anakin/Luke/Rey's blue saber and Darth Vader's red saber and that was the moment that my blood started pumping and my excitement levels started to rapidly rise. Upon entry into the theatre there were Stormtroopers everywhere which made for great photo opportunities. My only issue with them and this is me being a typical Star Wars nerd is that they were Stormtroopers from the Empire and not the First Order. It would have been really cool if that tiny detail could have been right but that's just me nitpicking. Accompanying this was a live cantina band playing that classic song that we all know and love along with a really awesome display containing statues of characters from the film such as Rey's scavenger outfit, Kylo Ren's menacing black garb and Captain Phasma's suit of armour that was so shiny I could see my reflection in it!! Last but most certainly not least they had a model of everyone's favourite ball shaped droid BB-8 which made my heart skip with delight. All of this provided for more cool photo ops and just being able to see the details of the costumes up close was really special.

I know it may sound very controversial but The Force Awakens happens to be my favourite Star Wars score. And the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed all of my favourite themes and cues to a tee. Rey's Theme, March of the Resistance and especially The Jedi Steps were highlights for me.

Rey's Theme is the showpiece of The Force Awakens with it's ear worm beginning and triumphant melody. It permeates throughout the entire score and is such a complex and deep piece of music that still leaves me pretty speechless every time I hear it. It is is heard during the film a staggering 25 times, more than any other theme or motif. Her theme is unique in the sense that it is less a heroic theme and more a theme that beckons adventure and I can safely say that the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra were able to showcase it in all of its different forms with the string and woodwind sections particularly shining through. 

March of the Resistance is so good because it reminds me of the Rebel Fanfare which is probably my favourite tune from the original trilogy. It has a very militaristic feel but is also quite rustic and ebbs and flows from being dire to uplifting and optimistic. It complements everything the Resistance stands for so well.

Leading up to the performance I knew that The Jedi Steps and the finale were going to absolutely blow me away but even with this expectation I was just so taken aback and emotional listening to all the perfect themes be played in their medley. I don't think I've ever had a smile on my face as big as I did during this moment and there may even have been tears in my eyes. 

The atmosphere during the performance was unlike anything I've ever experienced before. Even though I have seen the film a million times before I was still on the edge of my seat the whole time and this was due to the incredible performances by the musicians in the MSO. It just goes to show how impactful the music is and continues to cement John Williams legendary status in my mind.

Before the start if the performance, the guys from Art of the Score podcast which consists of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Senior Manager of Special Projects, Andrew Pogson, film academic Dr. Dan Golding and MSO’s Conductor Nicholas Buc held a live version of their show breaking down the key themes and musical cues found in The Force Awakens. For someone like me who obsesses and listens to the scores and soundtracks of all seven of the Star Wars films very frequently it was really insightful to listen to people from within the music industry explain the meaning behind the music and although I didn't learn anything new from the talk due to listening to countless other podcasts similar to Art of the Score such as Star Wars Oxygen it was nevertheless a great refresh before sitting down and listening to the orchestra perform. A pre-show talk such as this would be fantastic before any kind of film concert. It was also so interesting to be shown the process that the conductor goes through when directing the orchestra and how they keep it all in sync. It was a fascinating inside look and shows just how much of a challenge putting on a performance like this is. Art of the Score is a really great podcast if you enjoy and love film and tv scores. Along with Star Wars they have covered other scores such as Harry Potter, Back to the Future, Batman, Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones. The podcast can be found on iTunes or at http://www.artofthescore.com.au/

It was such a fantastic idea to hold these performances so close to the release of the newest film in the saga, The Last Jedi. Like most die hard Star Wars fans, I have been re-watching all of the previous films in preparation for Episode 8's release and to experience The Force Awakens a mere 4 days before I see The Last Jedi was the absolute perfect way to reacquaint myself with the newest heroes and villains in the Star Wars universe. From now on this is how I want to watch my Star Wars movies, with a world class orchestra!! And I really hope that they give the same treatment to The Last Jedi in the lead up to Episode 9's release in 2019.

If you were unable to catch any of these performances you're in luck because the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will be performing Star Wars: A New Hope on February 2-3 next year and I would highly recommend getting along and checking it out. It will appeal to everyone from the biggest Star Wars aficionados such as myself down to casual movie goers. Being able to hear the score live while you watch the film will forever change how you perceive it going forward.

Tickets are available to Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert here: https://www.mso.com.au/whats-on/2018/star-wars-a-new-hope/

The Force is undeniably, 100% most definitely strong with this one!

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