Review: BSO – Heroes and Aliens, Colston Hall

In their latest visit to Bristol’s Colston Hall, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra again cemented their reputation as a formidable and visceral interpreter of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks. Once more under the baton of the gregarious and likeable Pete Harrison, the theme this time revolved around classic sci-fi soundtracks from the past and present – and the results were predictably electrifying.

Beginning, perhaps inevitably, with a suite from Star Wars: A New Hope, the players had the audience rapt with attention as their vigorous performance evoked nostalgic memories of beloved movies. Amidst a programme heavy with Williams music (perhaps overly so – Harrison admitted he’s a huge fan), the composer’s more astringent and atonal work like Close Encounters and the chilling War of the Worlds made for refreshing a palliative, although it was hard not feel the tears prickling when the iconic, celebratory climax from E.T. soared off the stage.

Even so, it wasn’t just the Williams show. Any film music concert featuring the trendsetting and oft-overlooked Jerry Goldsmith is doing something very right indeed; the composer’s rousing and cathartic End Title from Alien (inexplicably removed by director Ridley Scott from the movie itself) was one of the evening’s highlights. And his final Star Trek score, Nemesis, also got an airing, a musical farewell to the Next Generation ensemble both melancholy and valedictory.

Talking of Star Trek: the modern audience was well catered for with Michael Giacchino’s thrillingly rambunctious main theme from JJ Abrams’ acclaimed reboot. Other contemporary inclusions ranged from the surprisingly fulsome and emotional Armageddon suite by former Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin (complete with intriguing rock and roll fusion) and a double-serving of the late James Horner in the form of Apollo 13 and Avatar.

It wasn’t just movies on offer either: John Williams’ suite from the Lost in Space TV series and Stu Phillips’ rousing theme from the original 1970s series of Battlestar Galactica helped shed light on a somewhat overlooked area of sci-fi music. Even so, the show was stolen by the climactic suite from Doctor Who, Harrison giving a shout-out to his father in the audience who had composed the original bass-line in the theme.

It was a moment indicative of the event’s warmth: a celebration of movies, TV, their unforgettable music and everything in-between. As ever, the players rarely put a foot (or finger placement) wrong – and when everything culminated in a performance of John Williams’ majestically adventurous theme from Superman, the mood came close to approaching something rapturous. The Bournemouth Symphony’s next visit can’t come soon enough.