Pete Harrison Talks STAR WARS: THE DEFINITIVE CONCERT (Exclusive)

Film soundtracks have always been a part of my life, and I’m confident when I say that the many sounds of Star Wars have impacted me the most. From the epic showdown between Maul, Kenobi and Qui-Gon, to the beautiful melody that follows Princess Leia, the music of Star Wars has become an integral part of the galaxy, and it’s all thanks to John Williams. To celebrate the immense career of Williams and the iconic soundtracks that have been engrained as a staple point in popular culture, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra are taking their Star Wars: The Definitive Concert on tour.

With tickets already booked and my mind racing, contemplating which tracks we’ll hear live, I decided that I simply wanted to know more. After getting in touch with the BSO, I had the extreme pleasure of talking to Pete Harrison, the conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. I’ve been to see the BSO many, many times and Pete has always put on a fantastic show. From John Williams, to the legend that is Hans Zimmer, and all the way to some of the most iconic themes in cinema, Pete is a master at taking his audience on a journey through film itself which relies so much on the amazing craft done by composers, conductors, and the orchestras that bring their visions to life.

Togther, we took a trip down memory lane and discussed our own experiences as Star Wars fans, our favourite pieces of music, as well as the importance of film soundtracks and concerts. It was an absolute treat and I’m incredibly excited to share it all with you. However, before we get to the good stuff… Here’s a small teaser of what you can expect when you put film soundtrack fanatic with an expert:

James: I was looking at Star Wars in general and with a show this big, expanding through the entire Star Wars galaxy, I was just wondering how you went about picking those certain themes and songs across all 9 films. How did you go about picking your favourites, or picking the ones that needed to be showcased?

Pete: It’s such a tough task because there is, as you said, so much music in these films that John’s written. He’s done so many themes and so many things that have come a part of our culture. That’s one of the things I love about John’s music, it just becomes part of our culture, look at the two notes in Jaws, or the 5 notes in Close Encounters. If anything heroic happened… He was straight in there.

We are, I suppose, I wouldn’t say confined by, because there are other ways, but John is wonderful because he publishes a lot of his music through his signature editions. So rather than, maybe someone doing an arrangement which gets published, or does the rounds should we say, it’s nice that John has actually published his definitive versions of his music in these signature editions, so there is a lot of those out there now!

I think that’s enough for now, don’t you? You can enjoy the rest of the interview via our YouTube channel. There is still plenty of time to book to see Star Wars: The Definite Concert, so what are you waiting for? Now, before we send you on your way, we want to know your favourite Star Wars track. Which piece of music hits the hardest? What memories do these tracks evoke? And which track do you have on repear the most? Make sure you let us know in the comments.

You can check out the full interview below:

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