By Michelle Medina Villalon
The Charlotte Symphony’s Movie Series combines beloved films with epic musical performances for audiences seeking a different movie-going experience. At these events, the orchestra plays scores live and in sync with the film, displayed above the stage on a larger-than-life screen.
These performances allow audiences to experience the exhilarating scores of their favorite movies firsthand, giving them a chance to notice nuances and dimensions in the music they may not have heard before.
Previous blockbuster hits featured in the series include Home Alone, Jurassic Park, and several films from the Star Wars saga. This upcoming Friday and Saturday, the Charlotte Symphony will present another iconic John Williams score, Jaws, just in time for summer!
It goes without saying that these concerts offer a distinctly different taste of symphonic music than a performance of, say, Tchaikovsky and Brahms. But how does the experience vary for the musicians onstage?
WDAV got the chance to chat with Jeff Ferdon, a double bassist with the Charlotte Symphony, to get a behind-the-scenes look at just what goes into preparing for a Movie Series concert.
What does the Movie Series add to the Symphony’s array of programming? Do you feel that concerts like these make classical music more accessible to audiences?
I sense a more diverse audience attending our classics series and, in large part, I think that’s due to our movie series. Most movie scores have a lot in common with the musical language of 19th and 20th century classical repertoire. This is especially true for the music of John Williams. That shared musical vocabulary really opens the door to our classical concerts. Furthermore, audiences develop strong personal and emotional associations to the film scores they love. That shared emotional language enables them to experience similar qualities embodied in the repertoire of our classics series.
Surprisingly, I’ve also noticed a change in the way audiences respond to and applaud for our classical performances. I think it’s a result of cross pollination in our audiences. Over the past couple of years, audiences have become more vocal and cheer as they would for a movie or at a rock concert.
Can you walk us through what a typical rehearsal for one of these concerts would look like?
We put these concerts together in just two rehearsals. That’s a tall order given the virtuosity and mental focus required to play a full length John Williams score. It’s a process that begins with lots of individual practice prior to the first rehearsal. In addition to that, music of this complexity requires an excellent conductor. Thankfully, our very capable Resident Conductor, Chris Lees is usually on the podium for these shows. It never ceases to amaze me how Chris can remember every cue and tempo change in an opera-like Star Wars score. He has to be on top of every aspect of the music as well as the technical production.
Because these scores are so long we can’t possibly work through every note in our first rehearsal. Chris has to decide beforehand which scenes will need work and which to leave for dress rehearsal. This requires a strong sense of mutual trust between Chris and the orchestra.
The next morning we come back for dress rehearsal and have our only chance to run through the entire movie. If there’s time left on the clock we might clean up a few spots. The hardest part? After the morning dress rehearsal coming back that night for the first performance. It’s like running two marathons back to back.
What do you wish audiences knew when they attend a Movie Series concert?
When a movie soundtrack is recorded it’s done scene by scene, bit by bit. The entire score was never intended to be played straight through live, in a concert setting. But that’s what we do. We play the entire soundtrack like an opera, 2-1/2 hours end to end.
On top of that, the music is as demanding as anything we play on the concert stage. All those battle scenes in a Star Wars film? We fight them vicariously through our instruments. It’s physically and mentally punishing. At the end of the concert, we’re beat!
All of this illustrates what incredible musicians I get to work with. Not only do my colleagues sound phenomenal, they’re as tough and resilient as professional athletes.
Do you have a most memorable Movie Series concert moment to share? Or perhaps a composer whose score(s) you have enjoyed playing the most?
I’ll always remember one particular moment playing The Empire Strikes Back. We had reached the famous lightsaber battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Just as Luke is about to lose his hand to Vader, someone in the audience yelled out, “We love you, Luke!” I actually got a little misty-eyed. For me, this shows the depth of meaning the music has for film fans. I’m so happy they’re bringing that heart-on-the-sleeve openness to our classical series.
Catch the Charlotte Symphony’s Movie Series program, “Jaws in Concert,” the weekend of June 14-15, 2024, at the Belk Theater and check out next season’s Movie Series lineup here.
Pictured: The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra rehearses playing the soundtrack for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on stage; courtesy of Jeff Ferdon.