Two Nights of Epic Film Music and ABBA Music!
Since writing reviews and singing in a chorus I have come to appreciate even more music other than my favourite hard rock/blues; I therefore find myself in the Guildhall Square for two nights where the Guildhall Trust organised Symphonic Spectaculars performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO), with whom they have a long-standing relationship.
A great setting on a warm summery evening with deckchairs and picnic chairs aplenty for a large audience crammed into the (created) auditorium in the square itself, a great idea that has been long the planning (well done Andy Grays, CEO at the Guildhall). The arena looked as good as some of the major venues around the country, the first time for the Guildhall, quite a feat on this scale. There were toddlers with families up to pensioner couples and all between.
The first night was a celebration of the famous film score composer (still going strong at age 93) “John Williams: The Master”.
For the evening, the conductor was Pete Harrison, who showed he is a master at managing a 70+ group of talented musicians with consummate ease, an art in itself; the compere was Dougie Scarfe OBE, the CEO of the BSO (acronym overload nearly!), providing concise information on each piece and a little of the history, always helpful and appreciated, black shiny jacket first half, red bespangled in the second half.
The first half was a who’s who of film titles and their music, beginning with Star Wars, starting to showcase the very simple (at least to me) and really effective use of fixed and moving spotlights on the stage and searchlights to the sides at the front, very effective with the different colours when they fall onto the large trees at the back of the square; being at the back I got the full benefit of the trees being overhead giving a fantastic “framework” to look at the stage. The music made you feel like you were sitting next to Han Solo (I wasn’t as it happens). In addition these meshed with subtle pyrotechnics, like huge sparklers, expertly choreographed by Chris and his crew.
They kept on coming, Jurassic Park (great horn playing), JFK (reminding that music in films is often a character in its own right), Jaws, getting a great reaction from the audience, a few intakes of breath and a bit of a shudder with the signature two-note “warning”, same as I got when the actual tubular bells were played in Tubular Bells, Adventures of Tin Tin (new to me), Memoirs of a Geisha (JW’s 4th Golden Global award), again new to me, quite haunting with a beautiful soft ending (excellent principle flute) plus reference to Sammy the Seagull swooping onto the stage (bet he didn’t pay) finishing with Harry Potter, feeling like you are actually on a broomstick.
The second half continued in a similar vein, Superman, so uplifting, Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List, evocative, thoughtful and soulful, fitting as the dark descended and temperature dropped a tad, wonderful violin playing, Close Encounters of the Third Kind with that 5- note medley (JW once said there were over 300 variations of this), when played, another “Jaws moment”, Lincoln (new to me), Star Wars: Imperial March, really resonating with the darkness, Hook, very sweeping (shut your eyes and you are flying), ET (Paul Harrison’s favourite as it was this film that inspired him into music) with the encore/finale, of course, Raiders of the Lost Ark (created by Steven Spielberg with George Lucas having been turned down for the Bond franchise), the perfect ending to a great night.
The square provides a much better acoustic arena than anticipated, a perfect setting for some excellently played music, brilliant musicianship, clear and precise in some places, perfectly harmonious in others, I doubt it would have sounded better inside the Guildhall itself.
What was really different was that getting near to the front is not a factor listening to this orchestra, it is about the music; the stage craft was in the performing not any histrionics. As Dougie Scarfe said at one point “real people making real music”.
Similar first-timer Charlotte said “I felt very emotional listening to a lot of the music and the fact that I was so familiar with the music but not the composer. The music was engaging for all opening up symphonic orchestra to hundreds of people who would not normally go”.
Summarising this first experience of a symphony orchestra (my nearest experience being Jools Holland’s big band), this felt like a giant garden party, all good humour and a very attentive, rapt audience.
The huge stage looked like a mini aircraft hangar, reminding me of the Starfighter bays in Star Wars during the opener, but then with 70+ musicians plus their instruments, it was definitely fitting.
A great first experience for me; I will definitely go to other similar concerts inside the Guildhall, it will be interesting if it sounds any different.
A member of the BSO crew mentioned that they have done an evening of Deep Purple music….yes please!!
The second night, a celebration of Abba music: a little cooler but clear blue skies. Another huge audience, some Abba’d in dress, looking splendid with a similar mix of people and seating to the first night. The Guildhall steps are a natural terrace but one half is restricted viewing to the stage in view of the size/depth of said stage. There is obviously a big appetite for this kind of show event.
Conductor Pete Harrison, in relaxed attire with black bespangled jacket, had the audience clapping within 30 seconds with an introductory medley of various Abba tunes, a great warm up.
Then came onstage West End singers Annie Skates, Emma Kershaw, Steve Trowell and Oliver Griffiths, all very talented, sang beautifully together, gave all the songs the respect they deserved but did not do “impersonations”, all the better for that. Their vocals were very clear meshing with the orchestra and choreographed lighting and sparklers as the previous night.
To me, the orchestra, with a one-night-only Abba rhythm section on stage, gave such added depth to the songs, making them the best versions I have heard of a lot of those songs (sacrilege maybe).
The first half was a walk-through of some of the most famous pop songs ever.
Waterloo, Honey Honey (how lovely to hear this), with dancing breaking out, SOS (swaying), Money Money Money from the album “Arrival” at which point Abba were amazingly a bigger export earner than Volvo (crowd chorus breaks out), Eagle, my all-time favourite Abba song, my overall highlight of the evening, with choreography even having a seagull fly over the stage as the words “bird in the sky” boomed out (if only), Knowing Me Knowing You (audience doing the Alan Partridge “Ah ha”) the jazzier-in-feel Name of the Game, Chiquitita (more dancing), Take a Chance on Me (biggest cheer so far, lots of dancing), Does Your Mother Know (almost everyone on their feet), the lights an extra performer, then the break.
The second half had Pete Harrison all in white, like the “5th Beatle”, with the excellent singers returning also all in white. The temperature had noticeable dropped but the hum of expectation was tangible. Super Trouper (2nd highlight), literally a large stage spotlight, great searchlight effect, Winner Takes It All (great vocals from Annie), I Have a Dream (phones in the air), Fernando, Save All Your Love For Me, with the sudden introduction of controlled gas flames either side and on top of the Guildhall, fantastic addition to the lighting and so effective. Then my 3rd favourite of the evening, Gimme!, Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), spectacular against the dark skies, Abba never been better, Mama Mia, Dancing Queen (everyone up, even me) finishing with Thank You For The Music, fireworks added to the lighting, sparklers, flames, multi colours, quite spectacular.
So, overall, the whole weekend was a huge success, congratulation all round with a special mention to all the security men and women who did a great job with the large crowds, marshalling, helping and informing, making it a very relaxed experience. No event could ever take place without them and they should be appreciated much more than they clearly are at times by the public.
Very highly recommended.
by Ken Ebbens from The Flash for Portsmouth Guildhall