Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra continue to make orchestral music more accessible with their latest event, Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre where the movie plays on the big screen while the ASO provides the orchestral accompaniment.

What do say about a score that is so legendary? George Lucas first heard the name "John Williams" from his friend Stephen Speilberg. Williams had just completed the score for Speilberg’s film Jaws. Williams would go on to both compose and conduct the orchestra for all nine of the Star Wars saga films—a forty-year journey.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope is the first film in the original Star Wars trilogy and the fourth chronological chapter of the Skywalker Saga. It was originally released in 1977 as Star Wars, and later retroactively subtitled Episode IV – A New Hope. It is the beginning of the main Star Wars narrative, introducing the main characters and setting the stage for the larger conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire.

The 88 minutes of music needed for the film was recorded at Anvil Studios in Denham, England.

In Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Luke Skywalker begins a journey that will change the galaxy. Obi-Wan begins Luke’s Jedi training as Luke joins him on a daring mission to rescue the beautiful Rebel leader Princess Leia from the clutches of Darth Vader and the evil Empire.

Williams, although a great composer in his own right was influenced by some famous predecessors – Gustav Holst (Mars was a favourite – Lucas’ stormtroopers march to a distinctly Martian beat), Wagner (the brass-laden theme for Darth Vader is distinctively reminiscent of Wagner's music for his majestic Valkyries), Tchaikovsky (influenced William’s instrumental colour), Stravinsky (as C-3PO and R2-D2 survey the barren sands of Tatooine, there are elements of Rite of Spring), Korngold (Luke Skywalker's theme is similar to the theme for Kings Row), also Carol Orff  (choral music) and Elgar (The Throne Room procession is similar to Pomp and Circumstance).

Although Williams owes debts to all these composers, it is his  mastery of melody and tone that make the Star Wars scores a milestone in the history of cinema.

Conductor Nicholas Buc Australian composer, conductor and arranger is the perfect choice to conduct this mammoth score. For those not familiar with conducting film scores while they are playing live on the big screen, it is no easy task. Buc has click tracks (audible signals played through in-ear monitors, to maintain tempo and timing), visual cues on screens (sometimes called streamers) help him align his conducting with specific moments in the film, so he needs to adapt his conducting style to fit the specific requirements of film music, which is different to traditional concert music.

Needless to say, from the point of view of this audience member, the result is perfect. Several times I heard the comment “It’s just like going to the movies only better!”, and they are right, the sound quality cannot match traditional movie speakers.

The audience form an integral part, applauding at the end of each musical section and cheering for their favourite sections, many waving their white or red-light sabres.

Eighty-eight minutes of music with very few breaks is a big ask of any orchestra, needless to say the ASO take it in their stride producing music identical, with the original but with much more ambience.

One of the highlights of the film is of course the Main Title Theme preceded by the Twentieth Century Fox Theme which drew one of the biggest cheers of the night.

From the brass sections of the marches (particularly the Force theme and the Imperial March), to the soaring string and woodwind sections of Princess Leia’s Theme, the music is glorious!

Every section of the orchestra has its time to shine - strings, brass, woodwind and percussion. As an audience, we don’t often get a chance to hear the whole orchestra playing fortissimo and the sound filled the entire Entertainment Centre much to the delight of the audience, many who ‘dressed’ for the occasion.

It was heart lifting to see so many children at a concert, especially to see and hear a film that is 48 years old this year!

Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert continues the ASO’s program that contains classical music and also popular music that is bringing new audiences to the theatre in droves to hear orchestral music. A brilliant initiative, Bravo ASO!

Barry Hill OAM

Photo credit: Saige Prime