Magic will be in the air when the Royal Scottish National Orchestra plays music from the Harry Potter films in Aberdeen’s Music Hall – and Lisa Rourke has the best seat in the house to watch it happen.
As the RSNO’s sub-principal viola, Lisa is on stage with a bird’s eye view of the audience – and loves looking out at the sea of wands, wizard hats and Hogwarts scarves as fans flock to be enchanted all over again by the soaring scores of the movies.
“The last time we were in the Music Hall with Harry Potter, it was a really memorable concert for me,” she said. “Playing the viola and the string section, we sit on the outside of the stage, so we get to see and really engage with the audience.
“There were two women sitting in the very front row. They didn’t have a programme but every time we started a new excerpt from a film, they would turn to each other and mouth which film it was from.
“I couldn’t believe how big superfans they were. I was quite distracted, but it was brilliant. I loved watching their reaction to everything we played.”
Lots of dressing up involved at RSNO Harry Potter concert in Music Hall
Lisa is hoping for more of the same when the RSNO return to the iconic Union Street venue with The Magical Music Of Harry Potter on Sunday June 18 along with the RSNO Youth Chorus. If previous concerts are anything to go by, a lot of dressing up will be involved.
“The kids certainly do, but I’ve seen lots of adults do it as well. There are lots of cloaks, lots of wands and I’ve seen a Dumbledore at a concert before. It captures people’s imagination, and I don’t think anything is too out of the ordinary for a concert like this.”
The orchestra will be playing the memorable pieces, such as Hedwig’s Them, from all of the massively-successful films based on JK Rowling’s books. While John Williams is most famously associated with the Harry Potter score, he only composed the first three films, with writing duties falling to Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper and Alexandre Desplat.
Lisa said all of them brough a magical quality to the music – while throwing in some challenges for the musicians playing it.
Harry Potter film music will bring lots of styles to Aberdeen audience
“It actually has a big variety of different styles of music. It’s not all just loud and fast, your typical film music. There are a lot of slower, more romantic pieces that tug on the heart strings, so it works really well as a concert,” she said.
“But as a string player, the Harry Potter music is really difficult. In fact, it is now set as audition repertoire for us because it is technically very difficult, with lots of swooping scales, up and down the instrument… high, fast but quiet as well, which is often more difficult to play than the loud stuff.”
Of course, Lisa has an advantage when it comes to playing Harry Potter – she and her daughter Katie are both massive films of the boy wizard, both in the books and in film.
“I do have a Hogwarts’ scarf,” she said, laughing. “But there’s a bit of conflict in our house. I’m definitely a Gryffindor but my daughter is a true Ravenclaw.”
Harry Potter isn’t the only film-themed concert which the RSNO has tackled. In the past there have been evenings dedicated to James Bond films and also to the entire movie back catalogue of John Williams which takes in everything from, obviously, Harry Potter through to Jaws, Schindler’s List and Star Wars.
RSNO film concerts can be gateway to world of classical music says Lisa
Lisa believes these popular concerts can be a gateway for audiences to discover the wider world of classical music.
She said: “The film concerts really bring in a different audience, which is great in its own right. But what we would love is for that audience to come along to one our regular season concerts. The film concerts can be like a hook. If you like John Williams then you are going to love Holst’s The Planets or Scheherazade.
“And with Harry Potter, there are many kids who haven’t heard a symphony orchestra before, so it is great watch them experience that up close.”
Lisa has a message for fans flocking to the Music Hall to experience the RSNO bringing the magic of Harry Potter alive through music.
“Just come along and take in all the sounds, be curious. Listen and watch and have a great time – and come back again soon.”
RSNO: The Magical Music Of Harry Potter will be at the Music Hall on Sunday June 18. For information and tickets visit aberdeenperformingarts.com or call 01224 641122.
Conversation