Star Wars: Return of The Jedi in Concert
Following the huge success of The Empire Strikes Back tour throughout the UK, the iconic climactic sixth episode of the Star Wars saga, Return Of The Jedi, will be presented live in concert across the UK for the first time with a live symphony orchestra performing the iconic score of Oscar winner, John Williams along with the film shown in HD on a huge screen.
Return of the Jedi (1983) sees Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and co. joined by Yoda and the Ewoks in an adventure across the galaxy as Darth Vader prepares to unleash the final blow to the Rebel Alliance.
Since the release of the first movie nearly 40 years ago, the Star Wars saga has had a seismic impact on both cinema and culture, inspiring audiences around the world with its mythic storytelling, captivating characters, ground-breaking special effects and iconic music scores.
What can be better than seeing a Star Wars movie on the big screen? Or watching it in the incredible surroundings of the Symphony Hall in Birmingham, a stunning room with accoustics dropped like gossamer from the heavens? Or sharing it with friends, all with an equally fierce love of Star Wars and the original trilogy that started it all? Nothing could be better and that was the foundations of a wonderful evening as myself, Carl Bayliss from Desert Planet Discs and his daughter Mariann, Martin Keeler from Star Wars Spins and the Zuveum and Clair Henry from Planet Leia (returning very soon to Fantha Tracks radio) met up at the Indian Brewery for some first-class nosh (sadly our missing Midland Fantha Paul Naylor was recouperating at home) and then a walk through the snow up to the Symphony Hall.
While not full – post-pandemic caution, shifting dates and the inclement weather the most likely causes – the room was still buzzing as we took our seats ready for the show. Sadly, as we discussed on this weeks 117th episode of Making Tracks, there was no merchandise to accompany the evening, unlike the previous performances of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back which both had plenty of goodies to grab. Instead, we took the opportunity to shoot the breeze about life, the universe and everything Star Wars over a cup of tea and a tub of vanilla ice cream as we waited for the lights to dim and conductor David Mahoney to appear, welcoming us to what he believes – and we very much agree – is one of the great movie scores, Return of the Jedi.
Readers of this site certainly don’t need me to walk any of you through the events of Return of the Jedi, but there are certain musical highlights that exhilarate and thrill every time we watch them. The ominous opening sequence as Lord Vader arrives at the Forest Moon and the second Death Star above (Main Title/Approaching The Death Star/Tatooine Rendezvous), the terror of the Rancor (Luke confront Jabba/Den of the Rancor/Sarlacc sentence), the battle over the Sarlacc Pit (The Pit of Carkoon/Sail Barge Assault) or the musical absense, so well-judged, as Luke and Leia tear through the forests of Endor on Speeder Bikes. Shuttle Tydirium Approaches Endor has never sounded better, the visuals as vast and impressive as they’ve ever been.
There’s a scope to Return of the Jedi, especially in its VFX that give the final chapter of the original trilogy a special place in the hearts of the fans. The character work may be tighter, closer, more in your face, but once we hit the skies above Endor and open up into that incredible final battle (all three The Battle of Endor pieces covering the space, ground and father and son battles), a skirmish matched only by Rogue One‘s assault on Scarif, we’re forgetting all about the Symphony Hall, the superb Novello Orchestra, that oddly delicious tub of ice cream or the fluttering snow outside and there’s nothing but Star Wars…which means the orchestra did their job, just as george Lucas and his team had almost forty years before, transporting us without us ever leaving our seats. What a feat.
Nights like this are what being a Star Wars fan are all about, sharing a love of the saga with friends and getting the chance to watch a near forty year old classic on the big screen one more time. Return of the Jedi will be performed at Sheffield City Hall on 8th February, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall on 9th February 2022 and Bath Forum on 10th February before arriving at the Royal Albert Hall on 23rd, 24th (2.30pm and 7.30pm) and 25th (2.30pm and 7.30pm) September 2022. Keep your eyes open, you might just see some of us there to soak up Jedi once again.
- Hardcover Book
- Gray, Claudia (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 368 Pages - 01/04/2022 (Publication Date) - Random House Worlds (Publisher)
