Last Saturday, the 15th of February, audiences far and wide gathered to watch Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) in the Great Hall at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. The best part about this performance is that audiences were able to watch as the Queensland Symphony Orchestra accompanied the score to the sixth episode of the original Star Wars trilogy. This was a Saturday well spent and there were two sessions available, one at 2:00pm and another at 7:30pm. The chance to enjoy a popular piece of cinema and simultaneously hear a live score performed by Queensland Symphony Orchestra is what leads the BCEC to be left with very few seats available.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is a classic film with plenty of entertaining moments. Audiences were able to join all their favourite characters for yet another adventure into the galaxy. Whether you look forward to seeing ‘Luke Skywalker’, ‘Han Solo’, ‘Princess Leia’ or ‘Chewbacca’ most on the screen, everyone is brought together to enjoy another episode of a series that has surely gone down in history. There are various comedic moments scattered throughout the film, and plenty of dramatic highpoints. I particularly enjoyed seeing ‘C-3PO’ mistaken as a being of higher power, and when each of his comrades are captured, seeing his inherent awkwardness in communicating to the ‘Ewoks’ to set them free.
The first part of the film features ‘Jabba the Hutt’, who is known as quite a gangster in the Galaxy. Whilst this slug-like alien manages to capture ‘Princess Leia’ for a time being, it isn’t long before the Rebel Alliance find a way to get themselves out of a sticky situation. There is plenty of action and adventure in the film, and another reason the In Concert series is worth attending is because the QSO highlights the nuances within the score with their live performance, which makes the experience that much more engaging as a whole.
Not only do we see ‘Luke Skywalker’ get to face off ‘Darth Vader’ in this film, we also get to see behind the mask of ‘Darth Vader’ himself. Whilst the film is the main focus of the performance, that isn’t to say that the audience does not wholeheartedly recognise the efforts of the QSO. There is plenty of recognition for the QSO and their expertise and audiences were clapping after dramatic highpoints in the film, where they felt the QSO had done justice to the score.
QSO’s ability to recognise popular works today and create In Concert performances such as these, is a fantastic way to bring audiences into a whole new world of classical music. Whether you attend QSO performances to dive into works from Beethoven or Tchaikovsky, or simply want to see the next In Concert performance from the Harry Potter series, there really is something there for everyone.
If you have never attended a QSO In Concert event such as the one that occured last Saturday, that isn’t to say that the opportunity will not come again. The next In Concert event will occur on Saturday, the 1st of August, and this time around the QSO will accompany the score to a film from a very well known series: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Secure your tickets ahead of time so that you don’t miss out on all the fun!
15th February 2020 - 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Joanna Letic