Film music has become a regular ingredient in the programming of the
Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra. The Congress Theatre was well filled for
the concert on Sunday 15 October, which was compered by John Radford.
As usual Roy Galloway, Mr Curzon Cinema himself, had chosen the
clips, which were projected on a huge screen. The orchestra, led by Lisa
Wigmore, was conducted by their musical director Graham Jones.
The first half
brought excerpts from Apollo 13, Amadeus, Harry Potter and the Goblet
of Fire, Back to the Future, and Annie Get Your Gun, which gave us
music by James Horner, Mozart, John Williams, Alan Sylvestri and Irving
Berlin. Some of the offerings were routine stuff: the music to accompany
the launch of Apollo 13, for example, would have fitted a cowboy film or a
religious epic equally well. John Williams, however, produced an
inventive score for Harry Potter, and Mozart showed great promise. The
orchestra was in fine form, and displayed good judgment in playing at its
best when the music merited it. (An excellent Don Giovanni Overture.)
John Radford’s commentary was laced with amusing personal anecdote as it
reminded us of the story-line of each film-clip. Mel Heslop and Will
Hawksworth (senior pupils at Eastbourne College) belted out the Irving
Berlin tongue-twister with aplomb, even remembering the confusing words
under pressure.
The Seventh
Veil was a huge success in its day, making a star of the young James
Mason. For the soundtrack, Eileen Joyce had recorded Chopin, Beethoven
and Grieg, and it was the glorious Grieg Concerto which filled the
second half of the programme. Dominic John, a past winner of the
Orchestra’s Young Soloist Competition, was the soloist. He is a musician
of great sensitivity and power; and played this well-known concerto
superbly. Graham Jones kept the orchestra in perfect accord, allowing the
soloist his head while never losing the overall shape. The first movement
ended with such dynamism that the audience could not resist lengthy
applause. The delicate second movement was filled with moments to
treasure, not least a perfectly balanced and phrased dialogue between horn
and piano. The final movement was characterised by some excellent
flute-playing; and it rose to the dramatic climax which so delighted Liszt
with everything under control. The violins were perhaps a trifle
underweight when the brass was in full flight, but their intonation never
wavered. Another triumph for Eastbourne, not only for the quality of the
local performers, but also for discovering so fine a soloist through their
competition.