Live orchestra delivers a fresh look at a New Hope
I’VE SEEN Star Wars: A New Hope umpteen times. In fact I’ve seen all the original Star Wars trilogy films so many times you’d think that nothing new could be learned about them.
I wasn’t lucky enough to see the films the first time they came out, but I caught them on the big screen once before, when they were released for the 20th anniversary in 1997, at a Secret Cinema event for Empire Strikes Back and this weekend I saw A New Hope screened with a live orchestra.
What a fantastic experience. The music of John Williams is a joy to hear performed and to hear it as it was meant to be heard, scoring one of the most iconic films ever made, live, was unforgettable. on a big screen means you really pay attention. You can put it on at home as
The Novello Orchestra were note perfect much as you like and you won’t concentrate and sometimes you forgot they were for the entire time, I’ll guarantee it. there – and not in a bad way! The execution So it was a real treat to have no choice of the opening fanfare duly sent the but to concentrate. And it’s exciting, it’s expected shivers through my body, I the swashbuckling, space-opera that can’t help getting that feeling every time George Lucas envisioned it to be. I knew I hear that intro – I get so excited about exactly what was coming, but I couldn’t what’s to come. take my eyes off the screen.
Even in the film’s quieter moments, And that’s a credit to the musicians the delicate scores of Princess Leia’s too, I had to purposely look at them midflow, theme and such, the lightness of touch instead of the screen. And they from conductor David Mahoney and his were as into the performance as we musicians was appreciated. And, of were. course, the murky, military procession of A brilliant way to spend a Friday evening the Imperial theme was rousing. – can I do it again this week? Watching the first ever Star Wars ■ Kathryn Williams
The winning numbers in Saturday night’s Lotto main draw were
The bonus number was
The Thunderball numbers were
48. 17. 11, 12, 29, 31
and
33. 06, 23, 36, 38, 43
and The Thunderball was
05.