Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Film Music Gala Review

Hull City Hall – 1st November 2024

Reviewed by Dawn Bennett

5*****

Part of Hull City Hall Classics 2024/2025 in partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra.

Conducted by Stephen Bell and Leader/Solo Violin Duncan Riddell.

Last night the Hull audience were treated to some of the most well-known film scores. Listening to them how they should be listened to, with a full orchestra who played beautifully.

Stephen Bell is a fabulous conductor, he’s talented, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable telling us bits of information about the different film scores. The composer John Williams and director Steven Spielberg collaborating in 28 films and counting and John Williams being the oldest person to be nominated for an Academy Award at 91 and having 54 nominations so far just being some of them.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are an outstanding collection of musicians and they brought the music alive from the haunting melodies of Hans Zimmers Main Theme from Gladiator and John Williams’s Schindler’s List to the rousing sounds of Ron Goodwin’s Main Theme from 633 squadron, John William’s Shark theme from Jaws and three pieces of music from Star Wars, including the Imperial March, Darth Vader’s memorable theme.

My favourite piece of music of the night were the Main Theme from Schindler’s List, the haunting violin solo played by Duncan Riddell (Soloist and leader of the RPO) was simply stunning, this piece of music really sets the scene for the harrowing story so well and you could have heard a pin drop in the very full City Hall.

There was some very well-known music from Vangelis’s Chariots of Fire theme, to another of John Willimas masterpieces Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and I really could have sat and listened to it all again.

The conductor said at the beginning, after we listened to the theme tune to E.T the Extra-Terrestrial (another John Williams classic) that he would take this music as one of his things to a desert island. I think I would have to take the superbly talented orchestra as one of mine and I look forward to seeing them again in the rest of the 2024/2025 season.