This last Sunday I was lucky enough to get a hold of one of the last tickets to go watch and listen the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) perform Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban, and the experience was more than magical.
On my way to the Sydney Opera House, I saw the world of Harry Potter come alive before me with adults painted in their house colors and kids dressed in the robes of their favorite school. Once inside batons, wands, magicians, and musicians all came together to recreate and enjoy a truly bewitching spectacle.
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra performed the magical soundtrack live, a masterpiece composed by John Williams and conducted by David Robertson, who right from the start encouraged all of us to cheer and chant for our favourite characters and moments. What I found really entertaining during the screening of the movie was associating a sound with an instrument, so I was continuously checking on who was playing what in the orchestra. The part that for me completely stole the show was during a chaotic quidditch match in which music became madness in our heads, but perfectly synchronised as always by SSO. I was completely mesmerised by the fact that if it had actually been a disorganised, badly played piece of music it would not have been able to recreate the sensations we were supposed to feel at each turn of the game.
The whole crowd entered the wizarding world of Harry Potter with big smiles, cheering and laughing during memorable scenes. At the break, sporadic debates started about Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the Cursed Child and mad-cap plots twists which proved yet again the commitment fans have for the world of JK Rowling.
This was my first movie in concert experience and I fell completely in love with it. I can’t wait for the next one so I have already looked it up and I found out it will be none other than John William’s soundtrack accompaniment to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on the 27th and 28th of July. Get your tickets here! But if you guys just want to watch a Harry Potter movie in concert, don’t you worry because The Chamber of Secrets will be on 4th – 7th October at Sydney Opera House. Get your tickets here!
All in all, I would say that movies in concert are a really entertaining and educating experience that suits both children and adults, and are able to create a magical world between you, the crowd and amazing live music that brings that imagined world to life.
Have you or will you be attending any Cinema in Concert spectacles? Leave us a comment below!
