BY BRIDGET O’BRIEN
Star Wars IV: A New Hope
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, 7 July
A curious assortment of attire filled the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday night.
There were the well-kempt types in sports coats, twirling glasses of merlot; among others in hoodies with Yoda puns emblazoned across the front. We might have been unsure about whether we were attending a traditional highbrow symphony or enjoying a pop culture marathon in someone’s loungeroom.
Thankfully, that was cleared up by the armies of storm troopers littered around the place, snapping photos with fans. Whether crowds were drawn by Queensland Symphony Orchestra loyalty or an affinity to George Lucas, we were all here to lap up the same culturally exhilarating event; Star Wars IV: A New Hope, played by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
The houselights dimmed. A gleeful Benjamin Northey emerged with his baton (and a lightsaber gimmick up his sleeve). He opened with: ‘I think we’re all about to have the best night of our lives’. His enthused preface gave the crowd of giddy cinephiles permission to abandon decorum, and cheer at will. Emerging from a dramatic fanfare, the brass section set soaring a theme that was both unmissable and unmatchable. The hollers that followed left restraint behind, and came together to celebrate a common love for the cinematic masterpiece.
One might be skeptical about how much an orchestra can really bring to a celluloid reel that we’ve seen before, bound to a predetermined timeframe. How much creativity can the musicians give when the conductor’s function is purely metrical, and they are within the rigid confines of timely scene changes?
After the first minute, my mind was made up: live music brings so much more. I gripped tightly to a rattling armrest as the Millennium Falcon first took flight, and gasps of macro fear erupted when the percussionists welcomed our first encounter with the Sand People. The schmaltzy accompaniment framed Luke Skywalker to seem more of a melodramatic teen than I’d noticed before, and Han Solo’s character development seemed to fit the mold of a classic Grecian hero more feasibly with the orchestration beneath it. The QSO brought to the screen a seamless chance for fans to find something out of this world – galactic, if you will.
In moments where I could bear to tear my eyes off the screen, I noticed the joy and giddiness filtering between those on stage. Every time the music facilitated a dramatic apex and the crowd delivered their rapture, Northey would deliver gracious nods to his team, with such an enviably broad smile. During scenes of dialogue and foley, I watched the musicians crane their necks to enjoy Princess Leia’s triumphant quips and C-3PO’s affable silliness.
The palpable appreciation on everyone’s faces made the room of strangers feel like a community of friends, and the orchestra a leading member of the party. Many in the wowed crowd spoke almost immediately of attending the next installment this December, and I think I’ll join them.
Image supplied.
