Saturday April 5. The QSO is playing the soundtrack to films at the Brisbane Convention Centre. Almost 2000 people attended last night’s performance of the Bond movie “Skyfall”.

Tonight, the QSO switches to play live the soundtrack to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.

Initially, I thought we’d be listening to the soundtrack. I’d not seen the Bond film, so I was unsure if Adele’s theme music and Newman’s soundtrack alone would resonate with me. How wrong I was. The QSO played the full soundtrack as the movie played on the big screen before us.

It had two effects. One was that I was so lost in the movie that I forgot about the soundtrack, assigning the musicians to the background as we tend to do when watching a movie. And I noticed. The second was the realisation that musicians and orchestras contribute most to our enjoyment of film. At the Convention Centre, the live orchestra synchronised their playing with the movie as it unfolded.

The QSO continues to amaze and delight me.

Vanessa Scammell conducted. The QSO played. And the audience enjoyed every minute.

Thomas Newman wrote the score of “Skyfall”, for which he was nominated for “Best Original Score” at the 2013 Oscars. Adele wrote the music to the theme. Unfortunately, she did not attend last night’s performance, but her absence was not noticed.

“Skyfall” is an outstanding film, with its tensions playing out against the backdrop of Istanbul, London, Shanghai, Macau, and the Scottish moors. It killed off Judy Dence’s character “M” and replaced her in the role with Ralph Fiennes. Bond’s character (Daniel Craig} is less omniscient and more human than the “Bond, James Bond” of previous films. He fights and gets hurt. He bleeds. He is slow to recover. Meanwhile, the machinery of the British Government tries to make the security services accountable to the whims of parliamentarians. Of course, there are gun fights, fist fights, and explosions. These combine with beautiful women, tons of money, fashion, glorious settings, and the obligatory cocktails to make “Skyfall” one of the better Bond films.

Tonight, the QSO plays live to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. If you are a Harry Potter fan, I recommend you go. Dress up, enjoy stepping into Hogwarths among its characters and adventures. It’ll be a night to remember. I’ll see you there.

Book at https://qso.com.au/events/2025/special-events/HP7

 

Kerry McGovern