Having thoroughly enjoyed North East Film Orchestra’s Hollywood Musicals earlier this year, I was thrilled to be invited back for their latest instalment, Hollywood Adventure. Swapping musical theatre for the silver screen, an orchestra of 68 musicians embarked upon a tour de force through some of cinema’s most recognisable scores. 

There is something fascinating about hearing film music divorced from the films for which it was written. Ordinarily, an orchestral score is almost deliberately rendered invisible: our attention is instead captured by actors, dialogue and images while the music works beneath them, quietly instructing us when to feel fear, excitement, grief or joy. Hollywood Adventure reversed that relationship. With no screen to hide behind, the musicians responsible for constructing these cinematic worlds were placed quite literally centre stage; such responsibility proved an easy feat however, with the worlds of these iconic films coming to life on the Gala stage last night. 

This became particularly pertinent during an insightful contribution from Professor of Music Psychology Kelly Jakubowski, who spoke about the careful use of musical cues to construct narratives and elicit particular responses. Without their visual counterparts, these scores were required to do precisely that on their own. The orchestra proved remarkably capable storytellers, moving between delicate softness, chaotic frenzy, solemnity and sheer celebration with astonishing ease. 

John Williams’ main theme from Jurassic Park established the extraordinary wholeness of the orchestra’s sound from the get-go, while Robin Hood and His Merry Men from The Adventures of Robin Hood demonstrated its capacity for precision. Meticulous staccato strings sat against exacting percussion, with each section remaining distinct without compromising the satisfying fullness of the collective sound. 

Yet some of the evening’s most affecting moments emerged when that enormous ensemble deliberately receded. Ennio Morricone’s ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ from The Mission was beautifully performed by principal oboist Dave Tomson. Opening beneath atmospheric white lighting, his delicate solo was gradually supported by the strings without ever being overwhelmed by them. Ethereal projections complemented rather than distracted from the music, before the sound gently faded into silence. It was a gorgeous demonstration of restraint. 

The visual construction of the concert was consistently effective in this respect. Lighting and projection shifted alongside each score, suggesting cinematic worlds without attempting to recreate them. This allowed the orchestra to remain the focal point throughout: rather than watching a film accompanied by live musicians, we were invited to watch the musicians themselves create the filmic experience. 

Regrettably, I am not the world’s greatest film fanatic. There were undoubtedly audience members for whom the opening few notes of each piece unlocked a far greater catalogue of memories than they did for me. Yet, this made the success of Hollywood Adventure all the more striking. Nostalgia was certainly integral to the evening, but the concert did not depend upon it. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, my own strongest nostalgic response came with Michael Giacchino’s music from Up. Its whimsicality was instantly transporting, culminating in the unmistakable ‘Married Life’. Particularly beautiful was an isolated melody of Oli Bolton on the piano before the fullness of the orchestra returned; the brief space between the two being as important as the music itself. For a concert characterised by the power of 68 musicians playing together, the perfect execution of precision in silence is testament both to the skill of Lewis Wilkinson in his marvellous conducting, and the sheer focus and talent of each musician involved.  

The evening was also firmly rooted in celebrating the North East. Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator provided suitably epic material for the orchestra, with powerful brass accents joined by The Northern Spirit Singers and soloist Elizabeth Woods, who also performed within the violin section. The selection carried an additional local resonance through director Ridley Scott’s South Shields roots, making the programme a celebration not only of cinema, but of the region from which the orchestra finds its identity. 

That regional identity became considerably more moving in the second act. Forestry Commission Managing Director Kate Jennings spoke about Sycamore Gap and our relationship with trees as symbols of memory, endurance and hope. It could easily have felt like an interruption to the music; instead, it was one of the evening’s most carefully considered inclusions. Her words flowed into Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, transforming a familiar film score into something with immediate local significance. Ominous drums introduced the piece as green foliage filled the projections, creating a poignant response to a symbol whose loss has been felt so acutely across the North East. 

Elsewhere, The Flight to Neverland from Hook encapsulated the sheer joy NEFO can produce. Sparkling percussion gave the music an almost magical quality before the triumphant melody of the horns expanded across the auditorium. It was a superb choice with which to close the first act: buoyant, triumphant and impossible not to smile at. 

The second act continued with the overture from Lawrence of Arabia, while Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean offered a less predictable selection from an enormously recognisable franchise. A false start momentarily interrupted the otherwise remarkable professionalism of the evening, but conductor Lewis Wilkinson handled it with easy humour, quickly dispelling any awkwardness before the orchestra began again. 

Indeed, Wilkinson was an extraordinary presence throughout. His conducting was animated without ever becoming distracting, and his relaxed compering gave the evening personality between pieces. His ability to move between conductor, host and even vocalist was ridiculously inspiring: there appears to be very little he cannot do. More importantly, his evident relationship with the musicians gave a concert of considerable scale of warmth. 

The Northern Spirit Singers were similarly well integrated. Rather than functioning as an additional attraction placed on top of the orchestra, their voices became another texture within it. This was nowhere more effective than in the suite from The Lion King. Bathed in characteristic orange and yellow hues, the combined ensemble travelled through the musical landscape of the film before arriving at a glorious ‘Circle of Life’. The vocalists’ harmonies seemed to operate as another instrument altogether, adding an ethereal dimension to an already enormous sound. 

Of course, no concert entitled Hollywood Adventure could omit Indiana Jones. ‘Raiders March’ delivered one of the evening’s most anticipated bursts of familiarity, but it was perhaps the final encore of ‘The Bare Necessities’ that best captured what I yearned for more of throughout the programme. It was playful, exuberant and wonderfully unserious, sending the audience out on an uncomplicated high. 

That sense of joy ultimately characterised Hollywood Adventure. While the programme naturally offered its greatest nostalgic reward to those with a deep affection for the films represented, NEFO demonstrated that these compositions possess a life beyond the images they were written to accompany. This time, the orchestra was not hidden beneath the action. We could see the bows moving, the percussion striking and the musicians responding to Wilkinson in real time; the mechanics normally concealed behind cinematic magic became part of that magic themselves. 

Hollywood Adventure was therefore a wonderful celebration of music, people, the North East and film. Thoughtfully constructed, locally rooted and performed with tremendous skill, it allowed music usually relegated to the background to command our complete attention; watching 68 musicians breathe those worlds into existence made for a glorious adventure in itself. 

You can follow along with the North East Film Orchestra here, and buy tickets to their next show – Hollywood Musicals – here.

Image credit – The North East Film Orchestra (producer Ellen Olley).