One of the Perks of getting into a small company when it’s growing and staying with it after it has taken legs and gets absorbed by a large company is that You tend to be well known…..Especially if you are loud mouthed Dork like me…. But again, that has it’s perks. Like when the VP of your division walks up to you and says: ” Hey go see my assistant and tell her you and your wife are going with us to see Star Wars in Concert.”
The Symphony Performing the Imperial March
Like I was going to say no to attending a concert of my favorite movie music sitting in a VIP box seat… But to play it cool I said: “Uh… Oh!!!!! (Inside voice says: DON’T NERD OUT!!!!) I’ll Check with Dawn to be sure thank you I will let you know…” Dawn had looked into it before and had pretty much said: “90 bucks a ticket!?!?!” Plus at that price we were concerned about CJ actually being able to sit through the whole thing. Even with all the things I had read about it it’s a symphony…
I had heard it took a lot of coercion to get not only George Lucas to buy into it but John Williams was not very thrilled about it. As I understand it: John was very reluctant in the beginning. He was very skeptical, he didn’t want to do it.. His biggest concern was the quality of the performance. It wasn’t just that Williams wanted accomplished musicians playing his often-complex orchestrations. He was concerned there was another “Star Wars Christmas Special” on the horizon. And of course George Lucas, also needed to be assured there wouldn’t be dancing stormtroopers. (insert shudder) But, with a few performances both gave their nod for a worldwide tour.
The roughly two-hour show represents what I think is kind of an unusual combination… You see for many “Star Wars” fans(Myself included), perhaps this is the first time they’ll be seeing a symphony orchestra. But don’t expect contemplative silence between movements. Every instrument is amplified (a lot), and in addition to an amazing lasers show, we see flames and smoke and as the orchestra plays and the choir sings, a giant mix of high-definition Projection and LED screen (measuring what appears to be 60 feet wide and half as tall) shows clips from all six movies, the footage matched to the music. The footage unfolds in rough chronological order but also is organized around musical themes — a little romance here, the rise of the dark side there.
In between all this aural and visual spectacle you get the added bonus of Anthony Daniels, who lent his voice to the golden protocol droid C-3PO in all “Star Wars” movies, narrating the proceedings with enthusiasm and a bit of wit. As I watched and listened to him I became wrapped up in it. Then the music just sets you there into that galaxy far gar away… It was at that moment I came to the conclusion that whatever they paid John Williams for the music he created for “Star Wars,” it wasn’t enough. The sound of the great space opera is as singular and powerful as its alien visions, maybe even more so in some instances.
A display of one of members of the Jedi Order
I also realized that perhaps what I was witnessing is a mere hint of a glimpse of what may be happening in the future for whenever Mr. Williams passes. I realized that probably 2/3 of my all time movie favorites has his music in it. He even co-wrote Harry Potter. But Raiders, Close Encounters, E.T., Jurassic Park, Superman, Jaws, and on top of all those he composed music for Lost in Space the TV series as well as many other Erwin Allen Sci-Fi shows. The amount of musical contributions this guy has is really quite staggering..
After the show Dawn and I took the time to walk around the Verizon Center perimeter hallway to look at some of the exhibits of props and costumes. They were pretty cool but in retrospect they pale in comparison to the music.