by John Noonan
Back in 2016, Warner Brothers announced the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, intending to show all eight films with their scores provided by a full orchestra. Six years and one pandemic later, it’s the turn of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One, directed by David Yates, a stalwart of the franchise since 2007’s Order of the Phoenix. More recently, he’s up to his elbows in the patchy-at-best Fantastic Beasts saga.
Despite JK Rowling’s evolution into Dolores Umbridge over the last couple of years, Harry Potter still holds a place in many people’s hearts. How could it not? For better or worse, the Boy Who Lived is a gateway to other realms of fantasy fiction. Deathly Hallows serves as the final chapter for Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his chums, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), as they experience more than growing pains.
Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), now fully resurrected but still minus a nose, has tightened his grip on the wizarding world with one beady eye on complete domination of the non-magical muggles. Of course, the only thing standing in his way is Potter himself.
Succumbing to the needs of a film company that didn’t want to say goodbye to its IP just yet, Deathly Hallows, the book, was split into two parts, with this, the first part suffering the most as a result. While by no means a bad film, Deathly Hallows Part 1 is objectively the weakest in the franchise, which can largely be attributed to the film’s unnecessarily long camping scenes. Ostensibly serving to show the lead trio finally cracking under the pressure of their fate, once Harry and Hermione start dancing to Nick Cave, it feels like the film is trying to compete with the Twilight franchise.
And yet, there’s still so much to enjoy here, from Yates’s direction, a wonderfully camp performance by Fiennes and, of course, the score by Alexandre Desplat (The French Despatch, Little Women and, um, 2023’s Barbie). Performed in concert by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Vanessa Scammell, Desplat’s compositions elevate the material in a manner that’s more tangible than watching the film at home.
With the film playing at the back of the orchestra at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, MSO’s timing and professionalism with Yates’s visuals means that you’re swept up into the action. If Harry and Hagrid’s full-speed escape from the Death Eaters doesn’t get to you, you best believe that Dobby’s final bow sure will (Oh, Dobby!).
Under Scammell’s guidance, there’s an air of Last Night at the Proms to the show, as she actively encourages the audience to cheer for their heroes and boo the villains. Sure, audience participation isn’t everyone’s bag. Still, if you’re not hissing at Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) by the third act, you need to have a chat with your inner child.
If, as mentioned earlier, Harry Potter is a gateway to fantasy, then MSO’s Deathly Hallows serves as an introduction to orchestral performances that will likely light a fire in some child’s belly.
