Jim Nova remembers the first time he saw Star Wars.
He was six when his dad took him to see “The Empire Strikes Back” with his brother in 1980. There, John Williams’ critically renowned score drew him to orchestral music as an art form.
“He’s an absolutely master orchestrator,” Nova said, “so he is able to capture the mood and the story with a few notes, but then take those notes and then expand it into this big tapestry using the orchestra.”
Now, at 50, Nova is playing second trombone in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) live in-concert screening of “Star Wars: A New Hope” this Friday, Feb. 7 at Heinz Hall.
The performance is not a first for Nova or the PSO–“The Force Awakens” got a concert last July, a performance that was called “masterful” by onStage Pittsburgh’s Jessica Neu.
Neu particularly praised the work of the concert’s conductor, Jacob Joyce, who will be leading this coming performance.
Joyce said John Williams’ method of writing scores allows him and the orchestra to have a better awareness of the film’s sentiment.
“The real artistry from the conductor’s perspective of doing these film scores comes from how you can let the players play expressively and freely while still staying with the movie,” Joyce said.
“And so while it’s a very technical task of synchronizing with the movie, I find these shows to be really fun to conduct, because there is a serious artistic element,” Joyce said.
That element, according to Joyce, is the ability to let the orchestra get ahead and behind the movie, informed by almost five straight years of conducting movies, live in-concert.
The concert is essentially a traditional performance of the music from “A New Hope,” with the addition of the movie projected behind the orchestra on stage.
While the entire movie is screened, the orchestra plays along the whole time.
Though not new, these types of concerts are rising in popularity, according to data provided by the PSO.
In the 2018 to 2019 season, there were six in-concert movies. This year there will be nine. Audience attendance rose along with that. Last year there was a total movie attendance of 21,210 people, up from 13,789 in the 2018 to 2019 season.
While the exact reason behind this uptick in audience interest is unclear, both performers say they hope movie concerts will inspire new interest in traditional classical concerts.
Nova said he knows of several people drawing a connection between their interest in “Star Wars” music and classical music.
“It’s a great entry point for the art form,” Nova said. “Obviously, being a big John Williams fan, I’m super excited that this has become a thing now. Orchestras do this now, and I think it’s great.”
Joyce said that, while audiences may appreciate the concert more from a movie context rather than a classical music one, he thinks there is potential for that appreciation to be extended.
“Everytime I conduct a movie in-concert,” Joyce said, “it’s my sincere hope that people hear a symphony orchestra and make the connection that this is the type of live musical experience that I get to experience every week as a function of working as a classical musician.”
“It is always my hope that people walk away and think not only that it was a great movie, but also, ‘Wow, I’d love to come see a symphony orchestra play again sometime,’” Joyce said.
Tickets to see “A New Hope: In Concert” are running out. They range from $80-$100 after fees. The concert will show between Feb. 7-9.
