Silver screen scores bring the magic
'Music can transport us to adventure, suspense, tragedy, romance, and sheer magic. All it takes is to hear that music again, and we are taken back to the stories that thrilled us'
When Philip Silver was eight years old, living in London, the London Symphony Orchestra put on a concert for all the local schools. The moment he heard them play he was hooked. “I was absolutely spellbound at the age of eight, watching the violins play,” he told The AJN.
Ever since then, he has been engrossed in music, so much so that his enthusiasm for string instruments, has been a passion, a labour of love, and most recently, a profession.
For more than 20 years, Silver has been a key part of the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra (KPO), and while he says the orchestra’s classical music repertoire is fantastic, playing opera, musical and movie scores is what really draws the crowds.
And according to Silver, a big part of the success of their non-classical concerts, is artistic director and conductor Paul Terracini.
“Paul in his great wisdom, he does concerts that will get the people in,” Silver explained.
“If people don’t like the classical repertoire, they like the music from movies such as Superman, Harry Potter, Schindler’s List … and the majority of composers of this type of music were Jewish, and the music is brilliantly constructed and very good for us to play. I thoroughly enjoy this type of music.”
The orchestra is incredibly proud to be presenting Symphony at the Movies. They intend to sweep audiences away with some of the finest music to grace the silver screen.
Silver describes the KPO as one of the best community orchestras in Sydney.
“In our orchestra, we have a lot of very talented players. But not only are they all good musicians, it’s a community; everybody is friendly, and everybody gets on beautifully,” he said.
While he describes rehearsals as “very intense”, Silver explained that Terracini is a first-class conductor, saying, “He’s one of the best I’ve ever worked with.
“In rehearsals, we pull all the music apart, learn it and put it back together again, so when it comes to concert time, we’re ready and we put in a lot of extra effort,” he explained.
For Terracini, Symphony at the Movies is a chance for the orchestra to connect with the audience on an imaginative level.
“Music can transport us to adventure, suspense, tragedy, romance, and sheer magic. All it takes is to hear that music again, and we are taken back to the stories that thrilled us!” he said.
Symphony at the Movies is at The Concourse, Chatswood, on Sunday October 30. For more, visit kpo.org.au
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