John Jesensky has a confession: If it werenβt for movies like the βHarry Potterβ franchise, he might not have pursued classical music as a career.
As a teen, he pounded out classic Billy Joel on the piano and fancied himself the next big rock βnβ roll piano man.
βOnce I sat down and heard the music of John Williams for the first time, it was like opening the flood gates for me,β he recalled. βOnce I appreciated that, all of a sudden I started noticing Beethoven and Brahms and Bach and all of these people that I had never even thought of exploring before. β¦ So I certainly believe film music to be either a gateway, or some people may stop at film music. And thatβs a great idea. As long as they get to see the symphony, thatβs a powerful tool.β
For the past three years, Jesensky has been bringing movie fans of all ages into symphony halls around the world to hear Williamsβ βHarry Potterβ scores with CineConcerts. Heβll do it in Tucson this weekend with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra for two performances of βHarry Potter and the Sorcererβs Stone.β The orchestra will perform Williamsβ soundtrack live while the movie plays on a big screen on stage.
Itβs the fourth installment in CineConcerts plan to bring all eight βHarry Potterβ movies to symphony halls around the world.
When we caught up with Jesensky by phone last week, he was finishing up a performance with an orchestra in Argentina of βChamber of Secrets.β The week before, he brought βSorcererβs Stoneβ to Brazil, and in early April, heβs off to Hawaii to join the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra for βChamber of Secrets.β
βPeople experience βHarry Potterβ in a completely, sort of life-changing way in some ways,β he said. βIβve had some kids whoβve never been to the symphony before come up to me and tell me that they want to go back to the next symphony concert even if itβs not film music. And thatβs quite special to me to hear that.
βThese films that are an integral part of some of these kidsβ and adultsβ lives. ... We really believe that there is sort of a power that exists in the live concert that you canβt get from listening to a soundtrack on the best speakers or in the best theater. Thereβs just this electricity that sort of goes through an audience when we have real talented musicians playing on the stage and they get to experience that, accompanied by films of stories they have grown up loving.β
For many of the youngest people in this weekβs audiences, this will be the first time theyβve heard a live orchestra. And while they might not pay that close attention, some adults in the audience might appreciate the balancing act Jesensky and the orchestra are facing as they sync their performance with the movieβs action.
Jesensky said itβs not always an easy task.
βLuckily with maestro Williams, he writes music that is so orchestral and it has its own heartbeat where it gives you space β¦ to create these musical moments,β the conductor said.
But there are some tricky moments in Williamsβ βHarry Potterβ score, not the least of which is the action-packed Quidditch match. The music is bold and dynamic with magnificent horns and somber strings that bring out the palpable tension and excitement.
One misstep from the orchestra can kill the mood.
βIt is incredibly difficult for even the finest orchestras to play this music and make sure that it lines up perfectly with whatβs going on in the film. If one thing is slightly off timing-wise, the entire audience can tell that we made a mistake,β Jesensky said. βIt is one of those pieces in the show that we have to be correct the entire time. Itβs terrifying, Iβll be honest with you, but when we do it right, itβs one of those moments where the audience cheers afterwards and they are awed by it.β
The 5-year-old CineConcerts has also produced concerts of blockbuster films including βGladiator,β βThe Godfather,β βItβs a Wonderful Lifeβ and βStar Trek: The Ultimate Voyage.β According to the company, it has done more than 600 performances in 38 countries before a half-million fans to date.
