Brisbane Reviews

I always love walking into the Concert Hall as the Orchestra is warming up before the performance. A certain beautiful ambiance fills the room as the diversity of the night’s crowd flows through to take their seats and the excitement builds for it all to begin.

An evening with Queensland Symphony Orchestra never disappoints but when it is a journey of the most famous music of legendary John Williams you know tonight will be no exception.

Lead by the charismatic composer Nicholas Buc, the show starts strong with a solid classic from Spielberg’s Star Wars and the audience are already about to jump out of their seats for a standing ovation. Each few suites are explained and fondly spoken about with a nostalgia that Buc shares with musicians and audience alike. I want to make special mention that I warmly noted not just one or two smiles, but many bright eyes in the Orchestra themselves as he spoke about the joy of performing the classics of, arguably, the world’s most famous film scores. For many of the group, this is some of the music that shaped their careers and the pleasure to now be performing for an adoring audience. 

Nostalgia is surely one of the most powerful tools you can use to shape the human condition, and we are invited along the journey over five decades and more than two dozen collaborations between Spielberg and Williams. From the beautiful sadness of Schindler’s List and Angela’s Ashes to the exciting contrast of Indiana Jones and the iconic sound of Jurassic Park. Even those two wildly-infamous notes from Jaws that “scared people out of the water and into the cinemas” (as described by Buc himself), we were taken on a journey not just through music, but many of our own childhoods.

A quick music lesson to introduce the audience to the Celeste, an obscure instrument that has now resurfaced in orchestras world wide, as it is responsible for the famous soft bell sound drifting through the halls of Hogwarts and into our ears. Balcony patrons were lucky enough to lean over and catch a glimpse of the long forgotten instrument as the rest of us watch the kaleidoscope of lights dance along the Klais Grand Organ and the ceiling of Concert Hall.

The lights changing to match the introduction of the Superman theme made for a fun little ‘costume change’ and not to be outdone by the eerie red for the villain everyone loves to hate. They finish the night out with excerpts from Star Wars which leave the audience in awe and sneak in an encore of the Cantina Band Theme that not only made everyone’s night, but possibly my whole music-watching life! Big regards to the double 'glockenspieler's' who looked like they were having the time of their lives!

Another spectacular offering from Queensland Symphony Orchestra and another stellar reason to take a trip down memory lane. Now it’s off to spend the rest of the weekend re-watching some old classics.