Such performances do not generally merit comment at Washington Classical Review, but the Ionarts children have always enjoyed attending them - other parents looking for an easy way to introduce young people to the sounds of a live orchestra may find likewise. Miss Ionarts, now in her college years, delighted in seeing a number of children attending in Harry Potter costumes. Released in 2010, this installment of the Harry Potter film series was a bit too frightening for Miss Ionarts back then, and there were still a couple jump scares that had their intended effect even now.
Alexandre Desplat composed the score, making use of themes first created for the series by John Williams. With Desplat's more pedestrian music, it is not exactly a score-driven cinematic experience like the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars films. Guest conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos, aided by the metronomic click track projected on the podium, lined things up just fine with the orchestra, but there were few genuine musical frissons to be experienced. Principal cellist David Hardy stood out for his eloquent solos in the closing act of the movie, for sad scenes I will not spoil, but most of the audience's cheers were sparked by memorable lines or actions from the characters on screen, rather than by the orchestra seated beneath it on stage.
Emil de Cou returns to conduct the NSO in Elmer Bernstein's classic score - complete with ondes Martenot (!) - for the screening of Ghostbusters 8 p.m. this Friday. wolftrap.org
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