For generations of filmgoers and music-lovers, there’s perhaps no piece of music more instantly recognizable than the “Star Wars” fanfare, written by legendary film composer John Williams.
You can hear it in your head right now, can’t you? Can’t you see the iconic “Star Wars” graphic and the scrolling opening crawl, picture Luke Skywalker on Tatooine or BB-8 zooming across the sands of the planet Jakku? The music and the movie are inseparable.
The Bangor Symphony Orchestra will perform that fanfare alongside the countless other pieces of music composed for the “Star Wars” cinematic universe — like the “Imperial March” that often announces Darth Vader and “Rey’s Theme” from “The Force Awakens” — in its yearly pops concert, set for 7:30 p.m. March 4 and 3 p.m. March 5 at the Collins Center for the Arts.
BSO conductor Lucas Richman has a long history with composer John Williams. Richman met Williams as a young man, while he was conducting the Young Musicians’ Foundation Debut Orchestra in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. Williams led the orchestra through several of his own works for film and later invited Richman to work with him on more concerts with the Houston Symphony.
“I mentioned that I had just composed and recorded my first film score, so he graciously invited me to meet him back in LA at Amblin Productions on the Universal Studios lot in order to peruse my manuscripts,” Richman said via email. “Our discussions about orchestration and conducting have led to numerous encounters and incredible opportunities over the years, not the least of which was when he tapped me to be the conductor for 2010’s 11-week tour of Star Wars in Concert.”
After a 30-year working relationship, Richman is intimately familiar with Williams’ decade-spanning body of work — most especially “Star Wars,” which he calls an “epic saga” on the scale of Richard Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” operas.
“I believe that Williams’ approach to his scores for [‘Star Wars’] is akin to the manner in which Richard Wagner wrote his ‘Ring Cycle,’” Richman said. “With the usage of various leitmotifs, or identifiable musical fragments, and larger melodies specifically assigned to represent the various characters, he’s woven a sonic tapestry that envelopes and propels the entire story line.”
Whenever Richman gets the chance to conduct Williams’ music — most recently with the Oslo Philharmonic in Norway, which he conducted last year and will again conduct in November — he is always moved by the audience reaction.
“The visceral reaction that erupts even from hearing the opening splash of sound reminds me that John Williams not only crafted one of the most iconic film scores of all time but that all of his music has become, in essence, the soundtrack of our lives,” he said. “The other striking facet to the equation is that he is also one of the most kind and gracious human beings I have ever known, embodying the notion that it is absolutely possible to be genuine, charitable, humble and wildly successful at the same time.”
While the “Star Wars” concerts happen over the weekend of March 4 and 5, the following weekend is yet another busy one for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra — especially for some of the younger members of the organization’s youth orchestras.
The Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestra, conducted by BSO violinist Sascha Zaburdaeva and BSO trombonist Trevor Marcho, will be joined by internationally acclaimed violin virtuoso Midori for a weekend of classes and performances, including the annual Maurice P. King Master Class, set for 4 p.m. Friday, March 10 at Minsky Recital Hall at UMaine.
Zaburdaeva said her violin students are very excited to work with someone as legendary as Midori, who has enjoyed a more than 30-year career playing with all the world’s top orchestras, who has won Grammy Awards and the Avery Fisher Prize, and in 2007 was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
“They feel honored to be chosen by Midori to coach them and play with them. Getting to know the world famous violinist is one of the thrills. Students want to know her personally and musically,” she said. “In the classical music world she is our Lady Gaga.”
Midori was supposed to play with the BSO and lead the master class in 2015, but her weekend residency was canceled because of illness. Her rescheduled visit in 2017 also happens to coincide with the BSO’s annual Symphony Soiree, a fundraising gala and auction set for March 11 at the Collins Center for the Arts, at which Midori will also perform. She’ll wrap up her weekend with the BSYO’s annual spring concert, set for 3 p.m. Sunday, March 12 at the Collins Center, where students will perform and then will be joined by Midori.
“With Philharmonic accompaniment, Midori will perform the most famous violin concerto by Mendelssohn in E minor and Vivaldi’s concerto for four violins, with our students Brandon Aponte, Sonia Steadman, Colin Aponte,” Zaburdaeva said. “The kids are buzzing with excitement and a bit of fear for ‘not being able to keep up with her.’”
“The Pops: The Music of Star Wars” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. March 4 and 3 p.m. March 5 at the Collins Center for the Arts; tickets are priced at $19 to $49 and are available at the CCA box office. The Symphony Soiree gala fundraiser and auction is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, March 11 at the Collins Center for the Arts; tickets are $70 per person and can be purchased by calling 942-5555. The BSYO concert with Midori is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, March 12; tickets are $14 at the door.
