#sydneyoperahouse — Public Fediverse posts

Miriam Margolyes says 'death feel extremely close' and admits she's 'scared'

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/miriam-margolyes-says-death-feel-36991700

Continuing with the #Pinhole images:

#Sydney #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneyHarbour #CircularQuay #Pinhole #PinholePhotography #PinholeSieve #Ikoflex #Delta3200 #MediumFormat #Film #Photography #BlackAndWhite #BWPhotography #BlackAndWhitePhotography

Prints: https://prints.mainmono.co.uk/featured/opera-house-and-chains-mainland-monochrome.html

An organ recital with Anna Lapwood

Before we start, let’s just make this clear: This has nothing to do with anatomical dissections. The organs involved in this concert might be bigger than a muscle vehicle owned by someone said to have a small organ, but they refer to different things. Are we clear about this? This concert is totally G rated.

Forgive me, but this organism didn’t know who Anna Lapwood was before he booked his ticket to this concert. Oh, he knew she was an organist because he is organised and read the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s guide when he was searching for concerts to subscribe to so he could book his precious film music concerts targets. There were a couple of film music pieces in her concert list, so that would do to fill up another spot. Anyway, the organ is an interesting instrument in itself, right?

It turns out that Anna Lapwood is a big star on the socials.

A damn fine pipe organist, musician and communicator.

And a huge fan of film music.

When I received an email from the orchestra telling me that four of the other pieces listed were dumped and replaced with a suite from Lord of the Rings I was suddenly really looking forward to this concert. Film music. Pipe organ. Wow!

And it was sold out too. Except for the empty seat next to me. Sorry whoever booked that. You missed out.

This wasn’t quite my first pipe organ concert. I once had the pleasure of hearing a short, but very impressive, performance at the Melbourne Town Hall prior to an orchestral concert of film music by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra a decade or two ago.

I also have a little bit of family history with the pipe organ. One of my uncles rebuilt a small organ in the basement of his previous home in Adelaide and served as a consultant for the instrument on the set of the Australian movie Sweet Country.

I don’t think he appreciates film music though.

For a star of the socials there seemed to be quite a few in the audience approaching my uncle’s advanced age. There were plenty on the other side of the spectrum too. Even the rear stalls were filled with an excited crowd. The only empty spot was the stage, for most of the action takes place high above.

A magnificent pipe organ towers over the concert hall with pipes of shining chrome, the organist’s keyboard located on a small balcony overlooking the stage. The organ is believed to be the world’s largest mechanical tracker-action organ, meaning that the keys and the valves allowing the air to flow into the 10,244 individual pipes are mechanically linked rather than by triggering an electrical motor. However, more recently electric motors have been added to allow for the organ to be remotely controlled.

Lapwood runs out on to the empty orchestral stage in a dazzling coat that sparkles with the amazing lighting from above. She is full of energy and excitement at performing and is greeted with enthusiasm by the crowd. Then she bounds up three flights of steps and out to the balcony of the organ to begin the concert with Hans Zimmer’s Chevaliers de Sangreal from The Da Vinci Code, telling us how she transcribed the music when she was eight years old.

Prior to each piece, Lapwood not only describes the music itself and what it is about, but also what it means to her, personalising it, dedicating it to someone in the audience or elsewhere. She is plays her own arrangements, for most music is not written for a solo organ. But it is a versatile instrument with an incredible range, capable of gentle flute tones to a thunderous cacophony that even an entire orchestra cannot match.

The concert continues with Rachel Portman’s Flight and Olivia Belli’s Limina Luminis, the latter presented as describing the perspective of an astronaut from before their launch to the view of Earth from space. Both are concert pieces rather than film music, but would easily belong in the cinema.

Then we come to a suite of music from Lord of the Rings, excerpts from an organ symphony adaptation that Lapwood is writing. She attempts to describe the nature of the music and the sequence of events portrayed by the 9 individual pieces in under the 5 minutes she took in Melbourne, asking the audience to time her.

Instead we get the 6 minute extended edition.

Now, the Art of the Score are hosting a Lord of the Rings concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra later this year and good luck achieving better than that.

The translation of the Howard Shore’s multi-instrumental score to the organ is absolutely incredible. I especially love the Hobbit’s themes, but there is opportunity to explore the full dynamic and tonal range of the pipe organ in the suite. At certain points Lapwood sings in Elvish with a beautiful clear voice, demonstrating her many talents.

We then break for a twenty minute interval, before returning with some John Williams and Dual of the Fates from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. With its battle between different sections of the orchestra and overall drama, Dual of the Fates works well with the organ. Following on is another movie set mostly in space, though not in a galaxy far, far away, and that is Interstellar, with the Cornfield Chase. Hans Zimmer heavily utilised the pipe organ in his score to Interstellar and perhaps the minimalist nature of his music is better suited to the instrument that John Williams’ classical orchestral complexity. It would be interesting to explore this further.

Luduvico Einaudi’s Experience is another minimalistic piece and it sounds wonderful, as is Lapwood’s story about performing with the composer. Eugene Gigout’s Toccata from his 10 Pieces for Organ is the oldest and most classical of the music performed tonight and it does stand out. I appreciate it for it complexity and skill, but like it the least out of all I hear tonight.

The last item on program for the night is a suite from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End by Hans Zimmer. Lapwood describes it as her favourite music, the one that gives her energy, and that can certainly be heard here. I too would have picked At World’s End from that series. It is a wonderful arrangement for the organ, encompassing the playful music of Jack Sparrow, the diegetic organ playing of Davy Jones and the longing of One Day. She gets the audience to sing along the words to Hoist the Colours at the beginning, then somehow plays four separate melodies simultaneously with each hand, feet and thumbs in Drink Up Me Hearties.

But of course that’s not all. Lapwood offers the audience a choice of Test Drive from John Powell’s score to How To Train Your Dragon or No Time For Caution from Interstellar. We get both and it is perfect way to end.

Lapwood then returns to the stage for a standing ovation. And she tells us that, though many come to concert halls and recitals expecting to hear the great classical composers, it is film music that resonates most with her. I cannot help but agree with her. It is music that goes beyond decoration and technique, instead incorporating fantasy and reality. Listening to her play Lord of the Rings I am not just on a quest in Middle Earth, I’m driving through the South Island of New Zealand on our first holiday there, the music on the car CD player. Or I’m 39,000 feet in the air watching Interstellar on a flight back from Japan. Those are my stories. Others have theirs. It was a privilege to hear Anna Lapwood’s tonight, both in her words and her music.

I really enjoyed An Organ Recital With Anna Lapwood. It was a very different way to listen to the music that I love and a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hang around and purchase a signed CD, but I will definitely be adding her performances to my collection. Organic is supposed to be good for you!

When I reach home my 17 year old kid tells me that he is familiar with Anna Lapwood online and in an amazing coincidence, I switch on the television and Sweet Country is showing on the ABC! I can’t see a pipe organ in it, maybe that’s a task for another day. I shall certainly be paying more attention now.

An organ recital with Anna Lapwood

Before we start, let’s just make this clear: This has nothing to do with anatomical dissections. The organs involved in this concert might be bigger than a muscle vehicle owned by someone said to have a small organ, but they refer to different things. Are we clear about this? This concert is totally G rated.

Forgive me, but this organism didn’t know who Anna Lapwood was before he booked his ticket to this concert. Oh, he knew she was an organist because he is organised and read the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s guide when he was searching for concerts to subscribe to so he could book his precious film music concerts targets. There were a couple of film music pieces in her concert list, so that would do to fill up another spot. Anyway, the organ is an interesting instrument in itself, right?

It turns out that Anna Lapwood is a big star on the socials.

A damn fine pipe organist, musician and communicator.

And a huge fan of film music.

When I received an email from the orchestra telling me that four of the other pieces listed were dumped and replaced with a suite from Lord of the Rings I was suddenly really looking forward to this concert. Film music. Pipe organ. Wow!

And it was sold out too. Except for the empty seat next to me. Sorry whoever booked that. You missed out.

This wasn’t quite my first pipe organ concert. I once had the pleasure of hearing a short, but very impressive, performance at the Melbourne Town Hall prior to an orchestral concert of film music by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra a decade or two ago.

I also have a little bit of family history with the pipe organ. One of my uncles rebuilt a small organ in the basement of his previous home in Adelaide and served as a consultant for the instrument on the set of the Australian movie Sweet Country.

I don’t think he appreciates film music though.

For a star of the socials there seemed to be quite a few in the audience approaching my uncle’s advanced age. There were plenty on the other side of the spectrum too. Even the rear stalls were filled with an excited crowd. The only empty spot was the stage, for most of the action takes place high above.

A magnificent pipe organ towers over the concert hall with pipes of shining chrome, the organist’s keyboard located on a small balcony overlooking the stage. The organ is believed to be the world’s largest mechanical tracker-action organ, meaning that the keys and the valves allowing the air to flow into the 10,244 individual pipes are mechanically linked rather than by triggering an electrical motor. However, more recently electric motors have been added to allow for the organ to be remotely controlled.

Lapwood runs out on to the empty orchestral stage in a dazzling coat that sparkles with the amazing lighting from above. She is full of energy and excitement at performing and is greeted with enthusiasm by the crowd. Then she bounds up three flights of steps and out to the balcony of the organ to begin the concert with Hans Zimmer’s Chevaliers de Sangreal from The Da Vinci Code, telling us how she transcribed the music when she was eight years old.

Prior to each piece, Lapwood not only describes the music itself and what it is about, but also what it means to her, personalising it, dedicating it to someone in the audience or elsewhere. She is plays her own arrangements, for most music is not written for a solo organ. But it is a versatile instrument with an incredible range, capable of gentle flute tones to a thunderous cacophony that even an entire orchestra cannot match.

The concert continues with Rachel Portman’s Flight and Olivia Belli’s Limina Luminis, the latter presented as describing the perspective of an astronaut from before their launch to the view of Earth from space. Both are concert pieces rather than film music, but would easily belong in the cinema.

Then we come to a suite of music from Lord of the Rings, excerpts from an organ symphony adaptation that Lapwood is writing. She attempts to describe the nature of the music and the sequence of events portrayed by the 9 individual pieces in under the 5 minutes she took in Melbourne, asking the audience to time her.

Instead we get the 6 minute extended edition.

Now, the Art of the Score are hosting a Lord of the Rings concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra later this year and good luck achieving better than that.

The translation of the Howard Shore’s multi-instrumental score to the organ is absolutely incredible. I especially love the Hobbit’s themes, but there is opportunity to explore the full dynamic and tonal range of the pipe organ in the suite. At certain points Lapwood sings in Elvish with a beautiful clear voice, demonstrating her many talents.

We then break for a twenty minute interval, before returning with some John Williams and Dual of the Fates from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. With its battle between different sections of the orchestra and overall drama, Dual of the Fates works well with the organ. Following on is another movie set mostly in space, though not in a galaxy far, far away, and that is Interstellar, with the Cornfield Chase. Hans Zimmer heavily utilised the pipe organ in his score to Interstellar and perhaps the minimalist nature of his music is better suited to the instrument that John Williams’ classical orchestral complexity. It would be interesting to explore this further.

Luduvico Einaudi’s Experience is another minimalistic piece and it sounds wonderful, as is Lapwood’s story about performing with the composer. Eugene Gigout’s Toccata from his 10 Pieces for Organ is the oldest and most classical of the music performed tonight and it does stand out. I appreciate it for it complexity and skill, but like it the least out of all I hear tonight.

The last item on program for the night is a suite from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End by Hans Zimmer. Lapwood describes it as her favourite music, the one that gives her energy, and that can certainly be heard here. I too would have picked At World’s End from that series. It is a wonderful arrangement for the organ, encompassing the playful music of Jack Sparrow, the diegetic organ playing of Davy Jones and the longing of One Day. She gets the audience to sing along the words to Hoist the Colours at the beginning, then somehow plays four separate melodies simultaneously with each hand, feet and thumbs in Drink Up Me Hearties.

But of course that’s not all. Lapwood offers the audience a choice of Test Drive from John Powell’s score to How To Train Your Dragon or No Time For Caution from Interstellar. We get both and it is perfect way to end.

Lapwood then returns to the stage for a standing ovation. And she tells us that, though many come to concert halls and recitals expecting to hear the great classical composers, it is film music that resonates most with her. I cannot help but agree with her. It is music that goes beyond decoration and technique, instead incorporating fantasy and reality. Listening to her play Lord of the Rings I am not just on a quest in Middle Earth, I’m driving through the South Island of New Zealand on our first holiday there, the music on the car CD player. Or I’m 39,000 feet in the air watching Interstellar on a flight back from Japan. Those are my stories. Others have theirs. It was a privilege to hear Anna Lapwood’s tonight, both in her words and her music.

I really enjoyed An Organ Recital With Anna Lapwood. It was a very different way to listen to the music that I love and a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hang around and purchase a signed CD, but I will definitely be adding her performances to my collection. Organic is supposed to be good for you!

When I reach home my 17 year old kid tells me that he is familiar with Anna Lapwood online and in an amazing coincidence, I switch on the television and Sweet Country is showing on the ABC! I can’t see a pipe organ in it, maybe that’s a task for another day. I shall certainly be paying more attention now.

An organ recital with Anna Lapwood

Before we start, let’s just make this clear: This has nothing to do with anatomical dissections. The organs involved in this concert might be bigger than a muscle vehicle owned by someone said to have a small organ, but they refer to different things. Are we clear about this? This concert is totally G rated.

Forgive me, but this organism didn’t know who Anna Lapwood was before he booked his ticket to this concert. Oh, he knew she was an organist because he is organised and read the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s guide when he was searching for concerts to subscribe to so he could book his precious film music concerts targets. There were a couple of film music pieces in her concert list, so that would do to fill up another spot. Anyway, the organ is an interesting instrument in itself, right?

It turns out that Anna Lapwood is a big star on the socials.

A damn fine pipe organist, musician and communicator.

And a huge fan of film music.

When I received an email from the orchestra telling me that four of the other pieces listed were dumped and replaced with a suite from Lord of the Rings I was suddenly really looking forward to this concert. Film music. Pipe organ. Wow!

And it was sold out too. Except for the empty seat next to me. Sorry whoever booked that. You missed out.

This wasn’t quite my first pipe organ concert. I once had the pleasure of hearing a short, but very impressive, performance at the Melbourne Town Hall prior to an orchestral concert of film music by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra a decade or two ago.

I also have a little bit of family history with the pipe organ. One of my uncles rebuilt a small organ in the basement of his previous home in Adelaide and served as a consultant for the instrument on the set of the Australian movie Sweet Country.

I don’t think he appreciates film music though.

For a star of the socials there seemed to be quite a few in the audience approaching my uncle’s advanced age. There were plenty on the other side of the spectrum too. Even the rear stalls were filled with an excited crowd. The only empty spot was the stage, for most of the action takes place high above.

A magnificent pipe organ towers over the concert hall with pipes of shining chrome, the organist’s keyboard located on a small balcony overlooking the stage. The organ is believed to be the world’s largest mechanical tracker-action organ, meaning that the keys and the valves allowing the air to flow into the 10,244 individual pipes are mechanically linked rather than by triggering an electrical motor. However, more recently electric motors have been added to allow for the organ to be remotely controlled.

Lapwood runs out on to the empty orchestral stage in a dazzling coat that sparkles with the amazing lighting from above. She is full of energy and excitement at performing and is greeted with enthusiasm by the crowd. Then she bounds up three flights of steps and out to the balcony of the organ to begin the concert with Hans Zimmer’s Chevaliers de Sangreal from The Da Vinci Code, telling us how she transcribed the music when she was eight years old.

Prior to each piece, Lapwood not only describes the music itself and what it is about, but also what it means to her, personalising it, dedicating it to someone in the audience or elsewhere. She is plays her own arrangements, for most music is not written for a solo organ. But it is a versatile instrument with an incredible range, capable of gentle flute tones to a thunderous cacophony that even an entire orchestra cannot match.

The concert continues with Rachel Portman’s Flight and Olivia Belli’s Limina Luminis, the latter presented as describing the perspective of an astronaut from before their launch to the view of Earth from space. Both are concert pieces rather than film music, but would easily belong in the cinema.

Then we come to a suite of music from Lord of the Rings, excerpts from an organ symphony adaptation that Lapwood is writing. She attempts to describe the nature of the music and the sequence of events portrayed by the 9 individual pieces in under the 5 minutes she took in Melbourne, asking the audience to time her.

Instead we get the 6 minute extended edition.

Now, the Art of the Score are hosting a Lord of the Rings concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra later this year and good luck achieving better than that.

The translation of the Howard Shore’s multi-instrumental score to the organ is absolutely incredible. I especially love the Hobbit’s themes, but there is opportunity to explore the full dynamic and tonal range of the pipe organ in the suite. At certain points Lapwood sings in Elvish with a beautiful clear voice, demonstrating her many talents.

We then break for a twenty minute interval, before returning with some John Williams and Dual of the Fates from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. With its battle between different sections of the orchestra and overall drama, Dual of the Fates works well with the organ. Following on is another movie set mostly in space, though not in a galaxy far, far away, and that is Interstellar, with the Cornfield Chase. Hans Zimmer heavily utilised the pipe organ in his score to Interstellar and perhaps the minimalist nature of his music is better suited to the instrument that John Williams’ classical orchestral complexity. It would be interesting to explore this further.

Luduvico Einaudi’s Experience is another minimalistic piece and it sounds wonderful, as is Lapwood’s story about performing with the composer. Eugene Gigout’s Toccata from his 10 Pieces for Organ is the oldest and most classical of the music performed tonight and it does stand out. I appreciate it for it complexity and skill, but like it the least out of all I hear tonight.

The last item on program for the night is a suite from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End by Hans Zimmer. Lapwood describes it as her favourite music, the one that gives her energy, and that can certainly be heard here. I too would have picked At World’s End from that series. It is a wonderful arrangement for the organ, encompassing the playful music of Jack Sparrow, the diegetic organ playing of Davy Jones and the longing of One Day. She gets the audience to sing along the words to Hoist the Colours at the beginning, then somehow plays four separate melodies simultaneously with each hand, feet and thumbs in Drink Up Me Hearties.

But of course that’s not all. Lapwood offers the audience a choice of Test Drive from John Powell’s score to How To Train Your Dragon or No Time For Caution from Interstellar. We get both and it is perfect way to end.

Lapwood then returns to the stage for a standing ovation. And she tells us that, though many come to concert halls and recitals expecting to hear the great classical composers, it is film music that resonates most with her. I cannot help but agree with her. It is music that goes beyond decoration and technique, instead incorporating fantasy and reality. Listening to her play Lord of the Rings I am not just on a quest in Middle Earth, I’m driving through the South Island of New Zealand on our first holiday there, the music on the car CD player. Or I’m 39,000 feet in the air watching Interstellar on a flight back from Japan. Those are my stories. Others have theirs. It was a privilege to hear Anna Lapwood’s tonight, both in her words and her music.

I really enjoyed An Organ Recital With Anna Lapwood. It was a very different way to listen to the music that I love and a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hang around and purchase a signed CD, but I will definitely be adding her performances to my collection. Organic is supposed to be good for you!

When I reach home my 17 year old kid tells me that he is familiar with Anna Lapwood online and in an amazing coincidence, I switch on the television and Sweet Country is showing on the ABC! I can’t see a pipe organ in it, maybe that’s a task for another day. I shall certainly be paying more attention now.

An organ recital with Anna Lapwood

Before we start, let’s just make this clear: This has nothing to do with anatomical dissections. The organs involved in this concert might be bigger than a muscle vehicle owned by someone said to have a small organ, but they refer to different things. Are we clear about this? This concert is totally G rated.

Forgive me, but this organism didn’t know who Anna Lapwood was before he booked his ticket to this concert. Oh, he knew she was an organist because he is organised and read the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s guide when he was searching for concerts to subscribe to so he could book his precious film music concerts targets. There were a couple of film music pieces in her concert list, so that would do to fill up another spot. Anyway, the organ is an interesting instrument in itself, right?

It turns out that Anna Lapwood is a big star on the socials.

A damn fine pipe organist, musician and communicator.

And a huge fan of film music.

When I received an email from the orchestra telling me that four of the other pieces listed were dumped and replaced with a suite from Lord of the Rings I was suddenly really looking forward to this concert. Film music. Pipe organ. Wow!

And it was sold out too. Except for the empty seat next to me. Sorry whoever booked that. You missed out.

This wasn’t quite my first pipe organ concert. I once had the pleasure of hearing a short, but very impressive, performance at the Melbourne Town Hall prior to an orchestral concert of film music by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra a decade or two ago.

I also have a little bit of family history with the pipe organ. One of my uncles rebuilt a small organ in the basement of his previous home in Adelaide and served as a consultant for the instrument on the set of the Australian movie Sweet Country.

I don’t think he appreciates film music though.

For a star of the socials there seemed to be quite a few in the audience approaching my uncle’s advanced age. There were plenty on the other side of the spectrum too. Even the rear stalls were filled with an excited crowd. The only empty spot was the stage, for most of the action takes place high above.

A magnificent pipe organ towers over the concert hall with pipes of shining chrome, the organist’s keyboard located on a small balcony overlooking the stage. The organ is believed to be the world’s largest mechanical tracker-action organ, meaning that the keys and the valves allowing the air to flow into the 10,244 individual pipes are mechanically linked rather than by triggering an electrical motor. However, more recently electric motors have been added to allow for the organ to be remotely controlled.

Lapwood runs out on to the empty orchestral stage in a dazzling coat that sparkles with the amazing lighting from above. She is full of energy and excitement at performing and is greeted with enthusiasm by the crowd. Then she bounds up three flights of steps and out to the balcony of the organ to begin the concert with Hans Zimmer’s Chevaliers de Sangreal from The Da Vinci Code, telling us how she transcribed the music when she was eight years old.

Prior to each piece, Lapwood not only describes the music itself and what it is about, but also what it means to her, personalising it, dedicating it to someone in the audience or elsewhere. She is plays her own arrangements, for most music is not written for a solo organ. But it is a versatile instrument with an incredible range, capable of gentle flute tones to a thunderous cacophony that even an entire orchestra cannot match.

The concert continues with Rachel Portman’s Flight and Olivia Belli’s Limina Luminis, the latter presented as describing the perspective of an astronaut from before their launch to the view of Earth from space. Both are concert pieces rather than film music, but would easily belong in the cinema.

Then we come to a suite of music from Lord of the Rings, excerpts from an organ symphony adaptation that Lapwood is writing. She attempts to describe the nature of the music and the sequence of events portrayed by the 9 individual pieces in under the 5 minutes she took in Melbourne, asking the audience to time her.

Instead we get the 6 minute extended edition.

Now, the Art of the Score are hosting a Lord of the Rings concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra later this year and good luck achieving better than that.

The translation of the Howard Shore’s multi-instrumental score to the organ is absolutely incredible. I especially love the Hobbit’s themes, but there is opportunity to explore the full dynamic and tonal range of the pipe organ in the suite. At certain points Lapwood sings in Elvish with a beautiful clear voice, demonstrating her many talents.

We then break for a twenty minute interval, before returning with some John Williams and Dual of the Fates from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. With its battle between different sections of the orchestra and overall drama, Dual of the Fates works well with the organ. Following on is another movie set mostly in space, though not in a galaxy far, far away, and that is Interstellar, with the Cornfield Chase. Hans Zimmer heavily utilised the pipe organ in his score to Interstellar and perhaps the minimalist nature of his music is better suited to the instrument that John Williams’ classical orchestral complexity. It would be interesting to explore this further.

Luduvico Einaudi’s Experience is another minimalistic piece and it sounds wonderful, as is Lapwood’s story about performing with the composer. Eugene Gigout’s Toccata from his 10 Pieces for Organ is the oldest and most classical of the music performed tonight and it does stand out. I appreciate it for it complexity and skill, but like it the least out of all I hear tonight.

The last item on program for the night is a suite from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End by Hans Zimmer. Lapwood describes it as her favourite music, the one that gives her energy, and that can certainly be heard here. I too would have picked At World’s End from that series. It is a wonderful arrangement for the organ, encompassing the playful music of Jack Sparrow, the diegetic organ playing of Davy Jones and the longing of One Day. She gets the audience to sing along the words to Hoist the Colours at the beginning, then somehow plays four separate melodies simultaneously with each hand, feet and thumbs in Drink Up Me Hearties.

But of course that’s not all. Lapwood offers the audience a choice of Test Drive from John Powell’s score to How To Train Your Dragon or No Time For Caution from Interstellar. We get both and it is perfect way to end.

Lapwood then returns to the stage for a standing ovation. And she tells us that, though many come to concert halls and recitals expecting to hear the great classical composers, it is film music that resonates most with her. I cannot help but agree with her. It is music that goes beyond decoration and technique, instead incorporating fantasy and reality. Listening to her play Lord of the Rings I am not just on a quest in Middle Earth, I’m driving through the South Island of New Zealand on our first holiday there, the music on the car CD player. Or I’m 39,000 feet in the air watching Interstellar on a flight back from Japan. Those are my stories. Others have theirs. It was a privilege to hear Anna Lapwood’s tonight, both in her words and her music.

I really enjoyed An Organ Recital With Anna Lapwood. It was a very different way to listen to the music that I love and a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hang around and purchase a signed CD, but I will definitely be adding her performances to my collection. Organic is supposed to be good for you!

When I reach home my 17 year old kid tells me that he is familiar with Anna Lapwood online and in an amazing coincidence, I switch on the television and Sweet Country is showing on the ABC! I can’t see a pipe organ in it, maybe that’s a task for another day. I shall certainly be paying more attention now.

An organ recital with Anna Lapwood

Before we start, let’s just make this clear: This has nothing to do with anatomical dissections. The organs involved in this concert might be bigger than a muscle vehicle owned by someone said to have a small organ, but they refer to different things. Are we clear about this? This concert is totally G rated.

Forgive me, but this organism didn’t know who Anna Lapwood was before he booked his ticket to this concert. Oh, he knew she was an organist because he is organised and read the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s guide when he was searching for concerts to subscribe to so he could book his precious film music concerts targets. There were a couple of film music pieces in her concert list, so that would do to fill up another spot. Anyway, the organ is an interesting instrument in itself, right?

It turns out that Anna Lapwood is a big star on the socials.

A damn fine pipe organist, musician and communicator.

And a huge fan of film music.

When I received an email from the orchestra telling me that four of the other pieces listed were dumped and replaced with a suite from Lord of the Rings I was suddenly really looking forward to this concert. Film music. Pipe organ. Wow!

And it was sold out too. Except for the empty seat next to me. Sorry whoever booked that. You missed out.

This wasn’t quite my first pipe organ concert. I once had the pleasure of hearing a short, but very impressive, performance at the Melbourne Town Hall prior to an orchestral concert of film music by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra a decade or two ago.

I also have a little bit of family history with the pipe organ. One of my uncles rebuilt a small organ in the basement of his previous home in Adelaide and served as a consultant for the instrument on the set of the Australian movie Sweet Country.

I don’t think he appreciates film music though.

For a star of the socials there seemed to be quite a few in the audience approaching my uncle’s advanced age. There were plenty on the other side of the spectrum too. Even the rear stalls were filled with an excited crowd. The only empty spot was the stage, for most of the action takes place high above.

A magnificent pipe organ towers over the concert hall with pipes of shining chrome, the organist’s keyboard located on a small balcony overlooking the stage. The organ is believed to be the world’s largest mechanical tracker-action organ, meaning that the keys and the valves allowing the air to flow into the 10,244 individual pipes are mechanically linked rather than by triggering an electrical motor. However, more recently electric motors have been added to allow for the organ to be remotely controlled.

Lapwood runs out on to the empty orchestral stage in a dazzling coat that sparkles with the amazing lighting from above. She is full of energy and excitement at performing and is greeted with enthusiasm by the crowd. Then she bounds up three flights of steps and out to the balcony of the organ to begin the concert with Hans Zimmer’s Chevaliers de Sangreal from The Da Vinci Code, telling us how she transcribed the music when she was eight years old.

Prior to each piece, Lapwood not only describes the music itself and what it is about, but also what it means to her, personalising it, dedicating it to someone in the audience or elsewhere. She is plays her own arrangements, for most music is not written for a solo organ. But it is a versatile instrument with an incredible range, capable of gentle flute tones to a thunderous cacophony that even an entire orchestra cannot match.

The concert continues with Rachel Portman’s Flight and Olivia Belli’s Limina Luminis, the latter presented as describing the perspective of an astronaut from before their launch to the view of Earth from space. Both are concert pieces rather than film music, but would easily belong in the cinema.

Then we come to a suite of music from Lord of the Rings, excerpts from an organ symphony adaptation that Lapwood is writing. She attempts to describe the nature of the music and the sequence of events portrayed by the 9 individual pieces in under the 5 minutes she took in Melbourne, asking the audience to time her.

Instead we get the 6 minute extended edition.

Now, the Art of the Score are hosting a Lord of the Rings concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra later this year and good luck achieving better than that.

The translation of the Howard Shore’s multi-instrumental score to the organ is absolutely incredible. I especially love the Hobbit’s themes, but there is opportunity to explore the full dynamic and tonal range of the pipe organ in the suite. At certain points Lapwood sings in Elvish with a beautiful clear voice, demonstrating her many talents.

We then break for a twenty minute interval, before returning with some John Williams and Dual of the Fates from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. With its battle between different sections of the orchestra and overall drama, Dual of the Fates works well with the organ. Following on is another movie set mostly in space, though not in a galaxy far, far away, and that is Interstellar, with the Cornfield Chase. Hans Zimmer heavily utilised the pipe organ in his score to Interstellar and perhaps the minimalist nature of his music is better suited to the instrument that John Williams’ classical orchestral complexity. It would be interesting to explore this further.

Luduvico Einaudi’s Experience is another minimalistic piece and it sounds wonderful, as is Lapwood’s story about performing with the composer. Eugene Gigout’s Toccata from his 10 Pieces for Organ is the oldest and most classical of the music performed tonight and it does stand out. I appreciate it for it complexity and skill, but like it the least out of all I hear tonight.

The last item on program for the night is a suite from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End by Hans Zimmer. Lapwood describes it as her favourite music, the one that gives her energy, and that can certainly be heard here. I too would have picked At World’s End from that series. It is a wonderful arrangement for the organ, encompassing the playful music of Jack Sparrow, the diegetic organ playing of Davy Jones and the longing of One Day. She gets the audience to sing along the words to Hoist the Colours at the beginning, then somehow plays four separate melodies simultaneously with each hand, feet and thumbs in Drink Up Me Hearties.

But of course that’s not all. Lapwood offers the audience a choice of Test Drive from John Powell’s score to How To Train Your Dragon or No Time For Caution from Interstellar. We get both and it is perfect way to end.

Lapwood then returns to the stage for a standing ovation. And she tells us that, though many come to concert halls and recitals expecting to hear the great classical composers, it is film music that resonates most with her. I cannot help but agree with her. It is music that goes beyond decoration and technique, instead incorporating fantasy and reality. Listening to her play Lord of the Rings I am not just on a quest in Middle Earth, I’m driving through the South Island of New Zealand on our first holiday there, the music on the car CD player. Or I’m 39,000 feet in the air watching Interstellar on a flight back from Japan. Those are my stories. Others have theirs. It was a privilege to hear Anna Lapwood’s tonight, both in her words and her music.

I really enjoyed An Organ Recital With Anna Lapwood. It was a very different way to listen to the music that I love and a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hang around and purchase a signed CD, but I will definitely be adding her performances to my collection. Organic is supposed to be good for you!

When I reach home my 17 year old kid tells me that he is familiar with Anna Lapwood online and in an amazing coincidence, I switch on the television and Sweet Country is showing on the ABC! I can’t see a pipe organ in it, maybe that’s a task for another day. I shall certainly be paying more attention now.

Sydney Opera House at Dusk, Sydney, NSW, Australia

https://welchwrite.com/blog/2026/03/12/opera-house-5-2/

Follow My Photos on Pixelfed: https://pixelfed.social/p/douglaswelch/937811067318214838

#naturephotography #travelphotography #landscape #photography #sydney #australia #sunset #wallart #interiordesign #homedecor #sydneyoperahouse #sydneyharborbridge #harbor #cityscape #goldenhour #australianlandscape #modernart #ocean #architecture #wanderlust #outdoorart

Sydney Sunset, Sydney, NSW, Australia [Prints and Products Available]

With the skyline, Opera House, and Harbor Bridge

https://welchwrite.com/blog/2026/03/10/sydney-harbor-2/
Prints Available at http://DouglasEWelch.com/shop/875

#naturephotography #travelphotography #landscape #photography #sydney #australia #sunset #wallart #interiordesign #homedecor #sydneyoperahouse #sydneyharborbridge #harbor #cityscape #goldenhour #australianlandscape #modernart #ocean #architecture #wanderlust #outdoorart #prints #products

#Planet Parade over #SydneyOperaHouse
#Astronomy #Picture of the Day

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260224.html

#APOD #Australia

There was also this amazing lamington. #SydneyOperaHouse #Australia

I still often think about this #SydneyOperaHouse-shaped pavlova we ate at the Sydney Opera House. #Australia

Now You See Me Live

Magic! Illusions! Danger!

We haven’t seen any of the Now You See Me movies, but B was excited to see the stage show featuring professional magicians and escape artists in action. So back to the Sydney Opera House for the second time this month, just a couple of days before Christmas, this time with Alex coming along too.

On the way in we are asked to take four playing cards from a bin.

What follows is about two hours of sleights of hand, illusions, escapology and mentalism, performed by American Adam Trent, Italian Andrew Basso, Frenchman Enzo Weyne, Canadian Gabriella Lester and Englishman Matthew Pomeroy. There’s card tricks, supposed teleportation, an escape from a water torture box and a live scorpion. There is also plenty of audience participation, so if that’s not your thing don’t sit in the front few rows.

For those of you who might watch, I have no wish to spoil the fun by describing the stunts. Many of them leaving you wondering how they were done, which I think accounts for some of the subdued applause during the show.

Aside from the escapology, which is obviously a largely physical skill on the part of the practitioner (primarily Basso, in this case), magic works by clever contraptions and distraction, along with the fact that our conscious thoughts are preceded by subconscious actions and assumptions. Does free will even exist? Perhaps not, and this is of use to those who would manipulate thought and observation.

Rather than appreciating the deception, I find myself more interested in how the tricks were performed. Of course, this will not be revealed here, so I am left a bit unmoved by the experience. Though I have never watched a professional magic show live before, the performances also feel far too familiar from having sat through too many of the America and Britain’s Got Talent shows that B likes to watch.

If that’s your thing then you will probably enjoy Now You See Me Live. B and Alex certainly did. The audience, many of whom gave a standing ovation seemed to as well. Guess I am a bit disillusioned by magic!

#escapology #illusion #magic #mentalism #NowYouSeeMe #show #SydneyOperaHouse

Marvel Studios Infinity Saga Concert Experience – Sydney!

It’s been less than two months since I was in Melbourne at the Marvel Studios Infinity Saga Concert Experience, so what is different this time?

Well, for a start, it’s at the Sydney Opera House and being performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Benjamin Northey. Also, I had my wife B along with me, Alex staying home to study for exams next week. Tragic, eh, the parents watching superheroes with the kid being all serious and working!

Please see my Melbourne review for the structure of the concert, as this one followed the same pattern, except that conductor Northey gave a longer introduction. I think knowing what to expect helped me enjoy this concert even more than the first outing and allowed me to focus more on the orchestra than the film clips on the big screen.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra were in fine form, really bringing the scores from the variety of composers to life. We had a great view of the string sections, with the ostinato of variations on Silvestri’s Avengers Theme keeping them busy, while Ramin Djawardi and Christophe Beck’s themes for Iron Man and Ant Man respectively gave the percussionists a huge workout. I noticed that the rock music drummer was kept in a clear plastic enclosure, probably for the safety of the musicians and audience. Drummers have a very wild reputation.

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed Benjamin Northey’s dramatic conducting as you get the sense he really is channeling the music. So was I. This time I took pleasure in the variation of Patrick Doyle’s Thor and Pinar Toprak’s Captain Marvel, freed from the expectation of what they should sound like based on the soundtrack.

It was also fun sharing the experience with B and with the rest of the vocal audience, some of whom rose to give the orchestra a deserving standing ovation.

I certainly had a marvellous time!

#benjaminNorthey #concert #filmMusic #marvel #music #orchestra #sydneyOperaHouse #sydneySymphonyOrchestra

Found a cool, moody spot under the Opera House. The way the light hits this tunnel makes everything look like a film noir scene.

#Sydney #SydneyOperaHouse #Monochrome #BlackAndWhite #Urban #ArchitecturePhotography #Australia #Photography #BNW

Vivid Moments #photography #creativephotography #urban #creative #art #cityscape #multipleexposure #landscape #sydney #vivid #sydneyoperahouse

#BlueskyArtShow Today's theme is #Skyline Sydney as seen from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. #EastCoastKin #Sydney #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneyBridgeClimb #Scape #CityScape

An Icon of Architecture and Sustainability

In this feature: Sydney Opera House sustainability in this feature How the iconic building’s original 1950s design was…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Artsanddesign #Architecture #Arts #ArtsAndDesign #Australia #CULTURALICON #Design #ECO-TOURISM #Entertainment #GREENARCHITECTURE #MARINECONSERVATION #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #SUSTAINABLETRAVEL #SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/22042/

An Icon of Architecture and Sustainability

In this feature: Sydney Opera House sustainability in this feature How the iconic building’s original 1950s design was…
#NewsBeep #News #Artsanddesign #Architecture #Arts #ArtsAndDesign #Australia #CA #Canada #CULTURALICON #Design #ECO-TOURISM #Entertainment #GREENARCHITECTURE #MARINECONSERVATION #renewableenergy #sustainability #SUSTAINABLETRAVEL #SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/8515/

Sydney Waterfront with Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Boats 🩵🤍🩵
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/sydney-waterfront-with-harbour-bridge-opera-house-and-boats-jan-matson.html

An impressionist painting of Sydney Harbour skyline, featuring the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with sail boats in the foreground.

#SydneyHarbour #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneyHarbourBridge #Sydney #JanMatson #artist #painting #art #MastoArt #prints #oilpainting #ArtistsOfMastodon #FediGiftShop #impressionism #SydneyArt #FediArt #Australia #AustralianArt #JanMatsonArt #SydneyArt

Sydney Harbour Impression 🩵💙🩵
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/sydney-harbour-impression-featuring-the-harbour-bridge-and-opera-house-jan-matson.html

Impressionist palette knife oil painting of Sydney Harbour featuring Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and Sydney skyline. There are moored sail boats in Mosman Bay.

#SydneyHarbour #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneyHarbourBridge #Sydney #JanMatson #artist #painting #art #MastoArt #prints #oilpainting #ArtistsOfMastodon #impressionism #HomeDecor #SydneyArt #FediArt #Australia #SydneyViews #SydneyLandscape #HarbourBridgeArt #InteriorDesignArt

Welcome to Berk.

No, not the small town in western New South Wales where the summer temperature always seems to be above 40.

That’s Bourke.

Berk is “12 days north of Hopeless and a few degrees short of freezing to death. Most places only have mice or mosquitoes. We have… Dragons!”

We certainly do! We also have the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor, you guessed it, Maestro Nicholas Buc.

It’s How to Train Your Dragon and it’s in concert at the Sydney Opera House.

I have to admit that I’d never seen the movie before, despite it being in our movie library. But teenage Alex has. What’s more, he has songs from John Powell’s score in his mostly non-orchestral playlist, so How to Train Your Dragon in Concert is a great opportunity to bring the whole family along again.

English composer John Powell has written music for a number of other animated features, including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and the Australian made Happy Feet series, along with the live action Jason Bourne movies and my favourite, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The Opera House’s concert hall is absolutely packed for the sold out Saturday matinee performance. How to Train Your Dragon is a huge family favourite and there are many parents and children in the audience. We sit six rows back from the stage, dead centre, with excellent views of the conductor and strings (Hey Nick, look down, you might see a familiar face!). Behind the orchestra, larger than usual with a much expanded percussion section, is the big screen which will show the movie as the orchestra plays.

A roar goes up as the Universal logo and fanfare is played and we enter the animated world of vikings and dragons and an action packed overture introduces the leitmotifs for the main characters, including a love theme for Astrid, protagonist Hiccup’s love interest, and the dragons themselves.

The music is loud, it’s brash, full of string ostinatos, wood winds, synthesised choir and bagpipes played at a furious pace as the action unfolds on the screen. But there are tender moments too. Forbidden Friendship, where Hiccup befriends Toothless, the fearsome Night Fury dragon, is a gorgeous, playful piece with marimba, harp and percussion that brought a tear to my eye with its beauty.

Then we have the soaring Test Drive, the signature music for the movie, as Hiccup and Toothless take to the skies together.

The score also invokes some Celtic fiddle with the associate concertmaster, Harry Bennetts, providing the spirited solos, his delight obvious in the performance.

After a tough past few weeks at work and school, this is the perfect movie and the perfect score for weekend enjoyment. Easy to watch and listen to, but with enough depth to keep you interested and emotionally involved.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra does stunning job of performing the score, the sound is rich and full, and Maestro Buc his usual sterling work keeping them to time and sharing the music with the audience. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard the Sydney audience applaud as loudly as they did today, but it was richly deserved.

The people of Berk may be tasteless, but the people of Sydney weren’t and today they too had dragons.

https://allrite.blog/2024/08/24/how-to-train-your-dragon-in-concert/

#FilmMusic #JohnPowell #Movies #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneySymphonyOrchestra

Welcome to Berk.

No, not the small town in western New South Wales where the summer temperature always seems to be above 40.

That’s Bourke.

Berk is “12 days north of Hopeless and a few degrees short of freezing to death. Most places only have mice or mosquitoes. We have… Dragons!”

We certainly do! We also have the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor, you guessed it, Maestro Nicholas Buc.

It’s How to Train Your Dragon and it’s in concert at the Sydney Opera House.

I have to admit that I’d never seen the movie before, despite it being in our movie library. But teenage Alex has. What’s more, he has songs from John Powell’s score in his mostly non-orchestral playlist, so How to Train Your Dragon in Concert is a great opportunity to bring the whole family along again.

English composer John Powell has written music for a number of other animated features, including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and the Australian made Happy Feet series, along with the live action Jason Bourne movies and my favourite, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The Opera House’s concert hall is absolutely packed for the sold out Saturday matinee performance. How to Train Your Dragon is a huge family favourite and there are many parents and children in the audience. We sit six rows back from the stage, dead centre, with excellent views of the conductor and strings (Hey Nick, look down, you might see a familiar face!). Behind the orchestra, larger than usual with a much expanded percussion section, is the big screen which will show the movie as the orchestra plays.

A roar goes up as the Universal logo and fanfare is played and we enter the animated world of vikings and dragons and an action packed overture introduces the leitmotifs for the main characters, including a love theme for Astrid, protagonist Hiccup’s love interest, and the dragons themselves.

The music is loud, it’s brash, full of string ostinatos, wood winds, synthesised choir and bagpipes played at a furious pace as the action unfolds on the screen. But there are tender moments too. Forbidden Friendship, where Hiccup befriends Toothless, the fearsome Night Fury dragon, is a gorgeous, playful piece with marimba, harp and percussion that brought a tear to my eye with its beauty.

Then we have the soaring Test Drive, the signature music for the movie, as Hiccup and Toothless take to the skies together.

The score also invokes some Celtic fiddle with the associate concertmaster, Harry Bennetts, providing the spirited solos, his delight obvious in the performance.

After a tough past few weeks at work and school, this is the perfect movie and the perfect score for weekend enjoyment. Easy to watch and listen to, but with enough depth to keep you interested and emotionally involved.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra does stunning job of performing the score, the sound is rich and full, and Maestro Buc his usual sterling work keeping them to time and sharing the music with the audience. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard the Sydney audience applaud as loudly as they did today, but it was richly deserved.

The people of Berk may be tasteless, but the people of Sydney weren’t and today they too had dragons.

https://allrite.blog/2024/08/24/how-to-train-your-dragon-in-concert/

#FilmMusic #JohnPowell #Movies #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneySymphonyOrchestra

Welcome to Berk.

No, not the small town in western New South Wales where the summer temperature always seems to be above 40.

That’s Bourke.

Berk is “12 days north of Hopeless and a few degrees short of freezing to death. Most places only have mice or mosquitoes. We have… Dragons!”

We certainly do! We also have the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor, you guessed it, Maestro Nicholas Buc.

It’s How to Train Your Dragon and it’s in concert at the Sydney Opera House.

I have to admit that I’d never seen the movie before, despite it being in our movie library. But teenage Alex has. What’s more, he has songs from John Powell’s score in his mostly non-orchestral playlist, so How to Train Your Dragon in Concert is a great opportunity to bring the whole family along again.

English composer John Powell has written music for a number of other animated features, including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and the Australian made Happy Feet series, along with the live action Jason Bourne movies and my favourite, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The Opera House’s concert hall is absolutely packed for the sold out Saturday matinee performance. How to Train Your Dragon is a huge family favourite and there are many parents and children in the audience. We sit six rows back from the stage, dead centre, with excellent views of the conductor and strings (Hey Nick, look down, you might see a familiar face!). Behind the orchestra, larger than usual with a much expanded percussion section, is the big screen which will show the movie as the orchestra plays.

A roar goes up as the Universal logo and fanfare is played and we enter the animated world of vikings and dragons and an action packed overture introduces the leitmotifs for the main characters, including a love theme for Astrid, protagonist Hiccup’s love interest, and the dragons themselves.

The music is loud, it’s brash, full of string ostinatos, wood winds, synthesised choir and bagpipes played at a furious pace as the action unfolds on the screen. But there are tender moments too. Forbidden Friendship, where Hiccup befriends Toothless, the fearsome Night Fury dragon, is a gorgeous, playful piece with marimba, harp and percussion that brought a tear to my eye with its beauty.

Then we have the soaring Test Drive, the signature music for the movie, as Hiccup and Toothless take to the skies together.

The score also invokes some Celtic fiddle with the associate concertmaster, Harry Bennetts, providing the spirited solos, his delight obvious in the performance.

After a tough past few weeks at work and school, this is the perfect movie and the perfect score for weekend enjoyment. Easy to watch and listen to, but with enough depth to keep you interested and emotionally involved.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra does stunning job of performing the score, the sound is rich and full, and Maestro Buc his usual sterling work keeping them to time and sharing the music with the audience. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard the Sydney audience applaud as loudly as they did today, but it was richly deserved.

The people of Berk may be tasteless, but the people of Sydney weren’t and today they too had dragons.

https://allrite.blog/2024/08/24/how-to-train-your-dragon-in-concert/

#FilmMusic #JohnPowell #Movies #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneySymphonyOrchestra

Welcome to Berk.

No, not the small town in western New South Wales where the summer temperature always seems to be above 40.

That’s Bourke.

Berk is “12 days north of Hopeless and a few degrees short of freezing to death. Most places only have mice or mosquitoes. We have… Dragons!”

We certainly do! We also have the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor, you guessed it, Maestro Nicholas Buc.

It’s How to Train Your Dragon and it’s in concert at the Sydney Opera House.

I have to admit that I’d never seen the movie before, despite it being in our movie library. But teenage Alex has. What’s more, he has songs from John Powell’s score in his mostly non-orchestral playlist, so How to Train Your Dragon in Concert is a great opportunity to bring the whole family along again.

English composer John Powell has written music for a number of other animated features, including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and the Australian made Happy Feet series, along with the live action Jason Bourne movies and my favourite, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The Opera House’s concert hall is absolutely packed for the sold out Saturday matinee performance. How to Train Your Dragon is a huge family favourite and there are many parents and children in the audience. We sit six rows back from the stage, dead centre, with excellent views of the conductor and strings (Hey Nick, look down, you might see a familiar face!). Behind the orchestra, larger than usual with a much expanded percussion section, is the big screen which will show the movie as the orchestra plays.

A roar goes up as the Universal logo and fanfare is played and we enter the animated world of vikings and dragons and an action packed overture introduces the leitmotifs for the main characters, including a love theme for Astrid, protagonist Hiccup’s love interest, and the dragons themselves.

The music is loud, it’s brash, full of string ostinatos, wood winds, synthesised choir and bagpipes played at a furious pace as the action unfolds on the screen. But there are tender moments too. Forbidden Friendship, where Hiccup befriends Toothless, the fearsome Night Fury dragon, is a gorgeous, playful piece with marimba, harp and percussion that brought a tear to my eye with its beauty.

Then we have the soaring Test Drive, the signature music for the movie, as Hiccup and Toothless take to the skies together.

The score also invokes some Celtic fiddle with the associate concertmaster, Harry Bennetts, providing the spirited solos, his delight obvious in the performance.

After a tough past few weeks at work and school, this is the perfect movie and the perfect score for weekend enjoyment. Easy to watch and listen to, but with enough depth to keep you interested and emotionally involved.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra does stunning job of performing the score, the sound is rich and full, and Maestro Buc his usual sterling work keeping them to time and sharing the music with the audience. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard the Sydney audience applaud as loudly as they did today, but it was richly deserved.

The people of Berk may be tasteless, but the people of Sydney weren’t and today they too had dragons.

https://allrite.blog/2024/08/24/how-to-train-your-dragon-in-concert/

#FilmMusic #JohnPowell #Movies #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneySymphonyOrchestra

Welcome to Berk.

No, not the small town in western New South Wales where the summer temperature always seems to be above 40.

That’s Bourke.

Berk is “12 days north of Hopeless and a few degrees short of freezing to death. Most places only have mice or mosquitoes. We have… Dragons!”

We certainly do! We also have the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor, you guessed it, Maestro Nicholas Buc.

It’s How to Train Your Dragon and it’s in concert at the Sydney Opera House.

I have to admit that I’d never seen the movie before, despite it being in our movie library. But teenage Alex has. What’s more, he has songs from John Powell’s score in his mostly non-orchestral playlist, so How to Train Your Dragon in Concert is a great opportunity to bring the whole family along again.

English composer John Powell has written music for a number of other animated features, including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and the Australian made Happy Feet series, along with the live action Jason Bourne movies and my favourite, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The Opera House’s concert hall is absolutely packed for the sold out Saturday matinee performance. How to Train Your Dragon is a huge family favourite and there are many parents and children in the audience. We sit six rows back from the stage, dead centre, with excellent views of the conductor and strings (Hey Nick, look down, you might see a familiar face!). Behind the orchestra, larger than usual with a much expanded percussion section, is the big screen which will show the movie as the orchestra plays.

A roar goes up as the Universal logo and fanfare is played and we enter the animated world of vikings and dragons and an action packed overture introduces the leitmotifs for the main characters, including a love theme for Astrid, protagonist Hiccup’s love interest, and the dragons themselves.

The music is loud, it’s brash, full of string ostinatos, wood winds, synthesised choir and bagpipes played at a furious pace as the action unfolds on the screen. But there are tender moments too. Forbidden Friendship, where Hiccup befriends Toothless, the fearsome Night Fury dragon, is a gorgeous, playful piece with marimba, harp and percussion that brought a tear to my eye with its beauty.

Then we have the soaring Test Drive, the signature music for the movie, as Hiccup and Toothless take to the skies together.

The score also invokes some Celtic fiddle with the associate concertmaster, Harry Bennetts, providing the spirited solos, his delight obvious in the performance.

After a tough past few weeks at work and school, this is the perfect movie and the perfect score for weekend enjoyment. Easy to watch and listen to, but with enough depth to keep you interested and emotionally involved.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra does stunning job of performing the score, the sound is rich and full, and Maestro Buc his usual sterling work keeping them to time and sharing the music with the audience. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard the Sydney audience applaud as loudly as they did today, but it was richly deserved.

The people of Berk may be tasteless, but the people of Sydney weren’t and today they too had dragons.

https://allrite.blog/2024/08/24/how-to-train-your-dragon-in-concert/

#FilmMusic #JohnPowell #Movies #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneySymphonyOrchestra

Cooled from our #WildSwim days at Lac des Montagnès we headed on to a campsite in central #Carcassonne, the finalé of our trip. Back in Feb we saw Ludovico #Einaudi in #Australia at #SydneyOperaHouse & this was our chance for a repeat #concert in another iconic venue - #TheatreJeanDeschamps amphithéâtre in La Cité. And what a venue! We strolled the busy streets of the citadel enjoying the smells of food & flowers before taking our seats for the performance - a magical night. #France

Sydney Opera House and Harbour Ferry textured painting 🩵🤍🩵
https://jan-matson.pixels.com/featured/sydney-opera-house-and-harbour-ferry-textured-painting-jan-matson.html

janmatson.com

#SydneyHarbour #SydneyOperaHouse
#Sydney #JanMatson #artist #painting #art #MastoArt #prints #oilpainting #ArtistsOfMastodon #FediGiftShop #impressionism #HomeDecor #SydneyArt #FediArt #Australia #ManlyFerry #SydneyCityScape #SydneySkyline

Mosman Bay and Sydney Harbour Bridge 💦💦💦
https://jan-matson.pixels.com/featured/mosman-bay-and-sydney-harbour-bridge-jan-matson.html

Impressionist landscape painting of Mosman Bay, with Sydney Harbour Bridge in the distance.

#SydneyHarbour #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneyHarbourBridge
#Sydney #JanMatson #artist #painting #art #MastoArt #prints #oilpainting #ArtistsOfMastodon #FediGiftShop #impressionism #HomeDecor #SydneyArt #FediArt #Australia #sailing #MosmanBay #Mosman

Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺

#sydney #australia #travel #explore #adventure #sydneylove #visitsydney #sydneyexplore #sydneyphotography #sydneyvacation #sydneytourism #aussie #cityscape #australiandesign #australiannature #outdoors #harbour #downunder #aussielife #ocean #beach #sydneyharbour #bondibeach #sydneyoperahouse #iconic

Sydney Opera House, Australia 🇦🇺

#sydneyoperahouse #australia #sydney #travel #explore #adventure #architecture #visitaustralia #sydneylove #sydneyexplore #sydneyphotography #sydneyvacation #sydneytourism #aussie #cityscape #australiandesign #australiannature #outdoors #landmark #harbour #operahouse #downunder #aussielife #ocean #iconic

Sydney Harbour and the Opera House
https://jan-matson.pixels.com/featured/sydney-harbour-and-the-opera-house-jan-matson.html

An impressionist oil painting of Sydney Harbour, the Bridge, Sydney Opera House and Sydney skyline. The Sydney scene was painted with a palette knife for a thick textured artwork

#SydneyHarbour #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneyHarbourBridge
#Sydney #JanMatson #artist #painting #art #MastoArt #prints #oilpainting #ArtistsOfMastodon #FediGiftShop #impressionism #HomeDecor #SydneyArt #FediArt #Australia

Sydney Harbour and Neutral Bay Impression. 💙
https://jan-matson.pixels.com/featured/sydney-harbour-and-neutral-bay-jan-matson.html

This view of Sydney Harbour is from Kurraba Point in Neutral Bay looking towards Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

#SydneyHarbour #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneyHarbourBridge #Sydney #JanMatson #artist #painting #art #MastoArt #prints #oilpainting #ArtistsOfMastodon #FediGiftShop #impressionism #HomeDecor #SydneyArt #FediArt #Australia

This was it. The BIG concert of 2023 with international virtuoso violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter performing the music of John Williams with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Simone Young live in concert at the Sydney Opera House. And not just any John Williams music. This was the Australian premiere of Williams’ Violin Concerto Number 2, written explicitly for Mutter.

I arrive early at the Opera House after a delicious bonito ramen at Ippudo, a welcome addition to Circular Quay dining. The city skyline is bathed in the delicious golden light of a waning day, the rays permeating the rear glass atrium of the Opera House.

As I sit down to listen to the pre-concert talk the massive Ovation of the Seas is departing from the passenger dock, it’s huge bulk maneuvering its way out through the busy harbour behind us.

The talk is interesting. This concert does not only feature the music of Williams, but also Bernard Herrmann’s score to Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Nino Rota’s music to The Leopard. Other than the famous shower slashing scene, I’m familiar with neither, so it’s good to listen to some analysis.

The story behind Williams’ concerto is also worth relating. Apparently Mutter approached Williams to write some music for her but he was too busy with existing movie projects. So, for Christmas, Mutter sent over some cookies and Williams felt obligated to respond with a few bars of music. Mutter would send more cookies and Williams more music.

Eventually, the pandemic struck and Williams finally had time to combine the small compositions into a proper concerto for Mutter, and so was his Violin Concerto Number 2 born.

The concert begins with a suite of Hermann’s score to Vertigo, starting with swirling music evoking the dizziness of the title. The suite keeps my interest and I could definitely feel its influence on later film scores.

The stage is then rearranged with one of the two harps brought towards the centre and space made for the solo star of the show. A blonde Anne-Sophie Mutter strides to the stage to applause and the performance of John Williams’ Violin Concerto Number 2 begins.

Others can describe the piece in more detail, I don’t think I have the musical language for that, but if you were to compare the violin concerto with Williams’ film scores it would be an action piece, full of dissonance and changes of tempo. But unlike in a film, the music rarely resolves into one of his signature memorable themes as the hero triumphs.

Instead, Williams uses the freedom of the concert hall to experiment with tempo, tone and texture. You can almost imagine a child who cannot read music playing with random notes to an taking pleasure in the sounds they make rather than performing a melody. But, of course, it is more than that, with its own structures and consistencies as the violin, the harp, the tympani and the orchestra all in conversation.

If I recall correctly I’ve only heard one of John Williams’ classical concert works performed live before, his tuba concerto with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. I enjoyed that one a lot, but I have to say that I usually don’t derive as much pleasure from his concert works as I do from his movie scores and his Violin Concerto Number 2 is probably one of his harder listens. But I can certainly appreciate the complexity and skill involved in the performance of it.

And so the first half of the concert comes to an end. Or does it? Mutter and Young return to the stage with much applause and launch into a version of Williams’ Across the Stars, the love theme from Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. This is Mutter’s version and, to be perfectly honest, I find her solo improvisation detracts from the lushness and emotion of the original. But is still very welcome to end part one with a memorable tune.

After the interval, the orchestra returns without its soloist for a couple of suites from composers other than John Williams. Nino Rota was best known for his music to The Godfather and its sequels, but here the orchestra performs music from The Leopard. This 1963 movie is from before my time and so is the music. There are some lovely orchestrations, but overall it doesn’t register much.

Australian composer Nigel Westlake’s Flying Dream Suite is the opposite and one of the night’s highlights. Paper Planes was one of my kid’s (and my!) favourite movies, about a young boy whose ability to make paper planes sees him compete in a international competition in Japan. Westlake’s suite evokes the image of a delicate piece of aerodynamic origami soaring above the land. The orchestrations are quite lovely.

Mutter now re-emerges to bring the concert home with some John Williams.

The Long Goodbye is from Williams’ pre-Star Wars days, when his jazz-derived influences played a larger role. I’m not sure I even own the soundtrack or if I have listened to it much. The theme is an instrumental version of a song he wrote with Johnny Mercer and is pleasant, if not particularly memorable.

The next piece is instantly recognisable, Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Of all the music tonight, this is probably the most suited to Mutter’s solo interpretation. Perhaps it is because we have heard the theme used in so many ways by different composers throughout the series, or maybe the complex nature of the music itself, but Mutter weaves her magic into the orchestra, telling a new story with her violin.

That should have been it, but of course we need an encore!

Mutter returns to the stage and the orchestra launch into The Adventures of Tin Tin, an action filled piece from Williams’ score to Spielberg’s animated movie. I’ve never heard music from this score performed live before and it’s an absolute thrill, full of momentum propelling it along.

Yet more applause as Mutter and Young bow and leave the stage. And then…

John Williams’ most famous violin piece is probably the theme from Schindler’s List. I’m not certain if now is the right time to bring it out, but I chose to hear it as an elegy for all who suffer. Perhaps then, it is the perfect time for a reminder.

Mutter plays this piece straight, without her trademark improvisations. It is less than a month since I heard this piece performed live and I can hear the difference between a very good and a great soloist with Schindler’s List. There is no doubt that Anne-Sophie Mutter is great.

When she, the conductor and the orchestra take their final bows, it is to a standing ovation.

I have mixed feelings about this concert. On one hand John Williams, a fantastic orchestra, conductor and soloist. One the other is the violin.

The violin is a wonderful instrument and an orchestra without a string section is virtually unimaginable (or a brass band). But on its own, the violin can sound harsh even in the best of hands. Or maybe it’s just me and growing up listening to my sister screech through the Suzuki Method’s twelve variations of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Do I think that the violin solos generally improved the pieces of music? No, not really. Instead, they were demonstrations of incredible skill, astounding in isolation, indulgences of a performer who has both the ability and opportunity to do what others in the orchestra may not.

I would suggest that those who can appreciate such a performance most of all are violinists and musicians themselves with the knowledge and experience to understand the skill required to produce it.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to attend such a performance in person. When I step out into the night I feel like I have experienced something special. But I still want more.

https://allrite.blog/2023/11/11/anne-sophie-mutter-and-the-music-of-john-williams-with-the-sso/

#JohnWilliams #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneySymphonyOrchestra

Jor Utzon, the architect of the Sydney Opera House, would only play Scrabble if names were permitted.

#JorUtzon #architect #architecture #Australia #Sydney #SydneyOperaHouse #QI #notQI

Sydney Harbour Impression 🩵🤍🩵
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/sydney-harbour-impression-jan-matson.html

An impressionist oil painting of Sydney Harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and Sydney skyline.

#SydneyHarbour #SydneyOperaHouse #SydneyHarbourBridge
#Sydney #JanMatson #artist #painting #art #MastoArt #prints #oilpainting #ArtistsOfMastodon #fedigiftshop #impressionism #HomeDecor #SydneyArt

On Sunday afternoon I attended a workshop at the Sydney Opera House: Life Drawing and Opera. It was led by three practising artists and a soprano from the Australian Opera Chorus was the guest performer and costumed model.

#SydneyOperaHouse #CentreForCreativity #LifeDrawing #OperaAustralia #CostumedDrawing #FigurativeDrawing #CharcoalDrawing #GraphiteDrawing #ArtWorkshop

On Sunday afternoon I attended a workshop at the Sydney Opera House: Life Drawing and Opera. It was led by three practising artists and a soprano from the Australian Opera Chorus was the guest performer and costumed model.

#SydneyOperaHouse #CentreForCreativity #LifeDrawing #OperaAustralia #CostumedDrawing #FigurativeDrawing #CharcoalDrawing #GraphiteDrawing #ArtWorkshop

On Sunday afternoon I attended a workshop at the Sydney Opera House: Life Drawing and Opera. It was led by three practising artists and a soprano from the Australian Opera Chorus was the guest performer and costumed model.

#SydneyOperaHouse #CentreForCreativity #LifeDrawing #OperaAustralia #CostumedDrawing #FigurativeDrawing #CharcoalDrawing #GraphiteDrawing #ArtWorkshop

On Sunday afternoon I attended a workshop at the Sydney Opera House: Life Drawing and Opera. It was led by three practising artists and a soprano from the Australian Opera Chorus was the guest performer and costumed model.

#SydneyOperaHouse #CentreForCreativity #LifeDrawing #OperaAustralia #CostumedDrawing #FigurativeDrawing #CharcoalDrawing #GraphiteDrawing #ArtWorkshop

On Sunday afternoon I attended a workshop at the Sydney Opera House: Life Drawing and Opera. It was led by three practising artists and a soprano from the Australian Opera Chorus was the guest performer and costumed model.

#SydneyOperaHouse #CentreForCreativity #LifeDrawing #OperaAustralia #CostumedDrawing #FigurativeDrawing #CharcoalDrawing #GraphiteDrawing #ArtWorkshop

Sydney Harbour Bridge - Sydney Opera House - Sydney Harbour 💙
https://jan-matson.pixels.com/featured/sydney-harbour-bridge-sydney-opera-house-sydney-harbour-jan-matson.html

An impressionist oil painting of Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, the city skyline and Sydney Harbour Bridge from Neutral Bay.

#Sydneyharbour #sydney #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyoperahouse #sydneyskyline #impressionism #janmatson artist #painting #art #Kirribilli #sailing

Sydney Harbour Bridge - Sydney Opera House - Sydney Harbour 💙
https://jan-matson.pixels.com/featured/sydney-harbour-bridge-sydney-opera-house-sydney-harbour-jan-matson.html

An impressionist oil painting of Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, the city skyline and Sydney Harbour Bridge from Neutral Bay.

#Sydneyharbour #sydney #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyoperahouse #sydneyskyline #impressionism #janmatson artist #painting #art #Kirribilli #sailing

Sydney Harbour Bridge - Sydney Opera House - Sydney Harbour 💙
https://jan-matson.pixels.com/featured/sydney-harbour-bridge-sydney-opera-house-sydney-harbour-jan-matson.html

An impressionist oil painting of Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, the city skyline and Sydney Harbour Bridge from Neutral Bay.

#Sydneyharbour #sydney #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyoperahouse #sydneyskyline #impressionism #janmatson artist #painting #art #Kirribilli #sailing

Sydney Harbour Bridge - Sydney Opera House - Sydney Harbour 💙
https://jan-matson.pixels.com/featured/sydney-harbour-bridge-sydney-opera-house-sydney-harbour-jan-matson.html

An impressionist oil painting of Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, the city skyline and Sydney Harbour Bridge from Neutral Bay.

#Sydneyharbour #sydney #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyoperahouse #sydneyskyline #impressionism #janmatson artist #painting #art #Kirribilli #sailing

Sydney Harbour Bridge - Sydney Opera House - Sydney Harbour 💙
https://jan-matson.pixels.com/featured/sydney-harbour-bridge-sydney-opera-house-sydney-harbour-jan-matson.html

An impressionist oil painting of Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, the city skyline and Sydney Harbour Bridge from Neutral Bay.

#Sydneyharbour #sydney #sydneyharbourbridge #sydneyoperahouse #sydneyskyline #impressionism #janmatson artist #painting #art #Kirribilli #sailing

#December 15, 1908
#OTD Joyce Winifred Vickery, #Australian #Forensic #Botanist, is born.

In 1960, a lottery helped pay for the construction of the #SydneyOperaHouse.
After Bazil Thorne won 100,000 pounds, his eight-year-old son Graeme was #Kidnapped & #Murdered.

A man was #Convicted after Joyce identified #Landscape #Plants on Graeme's clothing - #False #Cypress & Smooth #Arizona #Cypress. Both were #Planted outside the man's home.

#Botany #Gardening #Garden #IAmABotanist #Forensics

One of my favorite #northbondi spots. My friend that has been living for the last 15 years within 5mins from this spot never actually been here.
#sydneycity #sydneyoperahouse #harbourbridge

Starting our 50 year celebration of the #SydneyOperaHouse with #VanceJoy and young indigenous singer #Budjerah
Beautiful summer night for some Aussie tunes.

Sydney Saturday vibes.
#VanceJoy
#SydneyOperaHouse forecourt
#SydneyHarbourBridge
#AussieMusic
#Summer