Something amazing has happened over the years regarding film music that I still need to grow accustomed to: the popularity of film music concerts has increased significantly. I have already attended several concerts in my hometown, during which the North Netherlands Orchestra (NNO) has performed film music. I especially enjoyed the concerts where Dirk Brossé was conducting, since he is very capable of translating what film music needs to the musicians in the orchestra. I knew that he was returning to Groningen to conduct one of these film music concerts again, but I kept postponing buying the tickets, and when I finally got around to doing so, I saw, to my huge surprise, that the concert had already been sold out for a long time. Being sold out is terrific news for the orchestra, Brossé and film music in general, but not so good for me. Luckily, I could grab a ticket from Ticketswap, and I found myself in the audience together with many other people as if nothing had happened.
On the program were many iconic pieces written for or used in film. The first piece of music, “The Moonlit Woods of Fairyland,” however, was a bit of a mystery. Fortunately, Brossé picked up the microphone afterwards to explain that it was a piece composed by someone in the orchestra. So, it was officially no film music, but this beautiful piece still sounded like one. Brossé also informed us about the following three pieces that would be performed. The first was a fabulous suite from The Godfather. It is always great to hear those melodies again, and I especially liked the musicians singing, which was a nice touch for a concert without a choir. For the second piece, concertmaster Eeva Koskinen stood up for her part in Schindler’s List. She did a stunning job performing the violin solo, and I think that one of the reasons for this was that she performed the solo without any sheet music, ensuring that the full attention went to performing every note with the needed emotion.
After the gorgeous “For the Love of a Princess” from Braveheart, the third piece Brossé mentioned, he announced the last pieces before the intermission, complemented by some amusing anecdotes about film music. Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” is not written for film, but it is still a wonderful piece to close your eyes while you listen to the emotional melodies that flow into each other. Before the intermission, we still had a couple of pieces to go: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” the theme from Apollo 13 and the iconic “Raiders March” from Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. Especially the last one was a joy to listen to, as the brass section was allowed to shine during this one.
We could continue listening to John Williams’ music after the intermission with “Adventures on Earth” from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Afterwards, it was time for another piece from Indiana Jones, but this time from the TV show The Young Indiana Jones, composed by Laurence Rosenthal, the main guest at Brossé’s World Soundtrack Awards in 2023. It was a beautiful introduction of this amazing composer to the sold-out audience, with its jazzy and joyful tunes.
After the gorgeous piano theme from Love Story, it was time for the highlight of the evening. It would be my first time hearing “Escapades” from Catch Me If You Can live, which is a piece by John Williams for solo saxophone, vibraphone, and jazz double bass. The soloists, who were orchestra members, including the composer from the first piece of the program, were placed between Brossé and the orchestra. Their performance of the piece was excellent, and I love that I can still be surprised by iconic music I know very well but have never heard live before, especially in a setting with soloists like the one I experienced that evening. Officially, there was no encore for this concert, but the last piece of the program was “End Titles” from Blade Runner that could be interpreted as one. As a tuba player myself, I have to give kudos to the tuba player of the orchestra. Playing the rapid bass line of that piece consistently on a brass instrument is not easy.
I am delighted that I could still experience this sold-out concert by the NNO. They would perform the concert in two different towns in the following days, but the one in Leeuwarden also sold out while I was writing this report. That means a lot of people have experienced a fantastic film music concert, listening to some iconic pieces that you would expect on an evening like this but also being introduced to something new and refreshing.
Talking about ‘refreshing’: I also have to mention that while I like the NNO as an orchestra, the men of the orchestra were always dressed in conservative black and white suits, and for me, that does not really fit these types of concerts. I finally saw them dressed in full black for this concert, which looked way better for the music they were performing. It is a small example of me witnessing their growth as an orchestra that embraces film music. Next time I see the announcement that the NNO will be performing film music, I will buy a ticket right away to avoid any ticket problems.
Concert information
Where: De Oosterpoort in Groningen, the Netherlands
When: March 13, 2025
Orchestra: The North Netherlands Orchestra (NNO) conducted by Dirk Brossé
Program
- Menno Bosgra – “The Moonlit Woods of Fairyland”
- Nino Rota – Concert suite from The Godfather
- John Williams – Theme from Schindler’s List
- James Horner − “For the Love of a Princess” from Braveheart
- Samuel Barber –” Adagio for strings op.11”
- Ennio Morricone – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
- James Horner – Theme from Apollo 13
- John Williams – “Raiders March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark
Intermission
- John Williams – “Adventures on Earth” from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
- Laurence Rosenthal – “Hollywood Follies: from Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies
- Francis Lai –”Main Theme” from Love Story
- John Williams – “Escapades” from Catch Me If You Can
- Vangelis – “End Titles” from Blade Runner
