20 years ago, readers were first introduced to "Harry Potter's" wizarding world. Eventually, the book series became major motion pictures bursting with orchestral soundtracks.
Most "Harry Potter" film fans are probably familiar with those first enchanting notes that lead into the movies. They start out delicate and twinkling, then sweep into a flurry of string instruments.
This is the music that the Louisville Orchestra will bring to audiences later this year, when they perform John Williams’ unforgettable score from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” Behind the orchestra, the film will play on a 40-foot screen.
“The Harry Potter Film Concert Series” kicked off last year with music from the first Harry Potter film.
This year, the Louisville Orchestra — along with hundreds of orchestras from more than 35 countries around the world — will perform the score from the second movie. It’s all part of a global partnership with CineConcerts and Warner Bros.
Michelle Winters is the marketing director of the Louisville Orchestra.
“What CineConcerts has done is pulled the soundtrack off of the main body of the movie,” Winters says. “This is with full sound-effects, full audio, all of the dialogue, the only thing that is different is that the Louisville Orchestra is playing that soundtrack live.”
Winters says bringing in programming like this is part of the Orchestra’s mission to show that classical music is for everyone, and that is maintains an important place in contemporary pop culture.
“For one thing, it’s the extraordinary soundtrack of John Williams,” Winters says. “He really brought a whole, fresh approach to classical. When he started writing his music soundtracks, you weren’t hearing orchestras in movies anymore. It was considered a little old-fashioned at the time, but he changed everything.”
The concert will take place November 17 and 18; tickets go on sale July 8.
More information is available here.
