DAVID MAHONEY & THE NOVELLO ORCHESTRA – BRIGHTON DOME 28.10.21
Todd Phillips’ ground-breaking, award-winning 122 minute 2019 film ‘Joker’ which to date has grossed a massive £243 million at the box office, was this evening given a very special screening at the Brighton Dome Concert Hall. The film was shown tonight with the live accompaniment of The Novello Orchestra which have been thrilling audiences with their exhilarating musical experiences over the past few years.
The orchestra has become one of the world’s leading film music ensembles, performing a series of Film with Live Orchestra theatre, concert hall and arena tours across the UK and Ireland, including Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘Pixar in Concert’, ‘Grease’ and the Oscar-winning ‘La La Land’.
The live orchestra was this evening conducted by David Mahoney who has previously enjoyed success as a performer with Classical Brit Award winning group Only Men Aloud, who have completed numerous UK tours, album releases, television performances and many high profile event appearances including the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and the ‘Royal Variety Performance’.
The Novello Orchestra performed an award-winning score by the talented 39 year old Icelandic born composer and classically trained cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir who has posted a 50 second video on YouTube about the event. You can watch it HERE.
Hildur composed the score to the 2019 ‘Joker’ film for which she won the Premio Soundtrack Stars Award at the 76th Venice International Film Festival and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, becoming the first solo woman composer to win in this category at the Golden Globe Awards. At the 92nd Academy Awards, Hildur won the award for Best Original Score, becoming the first woman to win since the Original Dramatic Score and Original Musical or Comedy Score categories were combined in 2000. She is the first Icelander to win an Oscar.
Tonight, the performance in Brighton was one of only a dozen such events that were taking place throughout the UK and Ireland under the banner of ‘Joker- Live in Concert’ which is produced and promoted worldwide by SENBLA. Started by Managing Director Ollie Rosenblatt in 2011, SENBLA is a live music and entertainment company that promotes and produces shows touring artists throughout the UK.
Central to the emotional journey of Puerto Rican born Joaquin Phoenix’s character Arthur Fleck in the film is Guðnadóttir’s beautifully haunting score. The fusion of looming industrial soundscapes with raw, emotive string-led melodies – led by a lone cello (this evening performed by The Marvon Quartet member Beatrice Newman) – creates a melancholic shroud marked with moments of hope, which unfolds gradually to become a fever pitch of disquieting tension.
This extraordinary music was brought to life by The Novello Orchestra and thus created a vivid, visceral and entirely new ‘Joker’ viewing experience. Guðnadóttir’s inimitable live score illuminates further the emotional weight, texture and atmosphere of Phoenix’s captivating portrayal.
We arrived at the Brighton Dome in good time and noted that the expansive sound desk and smaller vision desk were located in the central stalls seating area which looked rather impressive. We made our way to our seats which weren’t quite Cineworld Brighton Marina standard as they didn’t recline or have cup holders for our chosen liquid refreshment. The ‘Joker’ film was to be shown on a large screen behind the orchestra who were seated on the Brighton Dome stage in front of it but not obscuring it, other than the upper torso of conductor David Mahoney. The screen could have been a little larger for this event, but if it is part of the ‘Joker- Live in Concert’ package, then understandably it has to fit into eleven other such concert locations.
At 7:33pm the lights went down and The Novello Orchestra began warming up in front of this mixed aged audience, who filled up a good 85 to 90% of the venue. I believe they began with ‘Overture’ that morphed into ‘Send In The Clowns’ which is from the 1973 musical ‘A Little Night Music’ which was originally performed by Glynis Johns.
The ‘Joker’ film commenced at 7:39pm and the orchestra all dressed in black (so as not to distract from the punter’s enjoyment of watching the film) complemented the score. So much so in fact, that a majority of the time the music sounded as though it was actually emanating from the film. It did not over-power it, it totally complimented it and enhanced the overall enjoyment. After 57 minutes (at 8:36pm) there was an intermission of 26 minutes, which allowed folks the time to purchase official £3 programmes, use the toilet facilities and replenish their plastic cups. I was initially worried about a break in the film as at home I love to watch great movies all the way through, but this evening the cut so to speak was perfectly chosen.
‘The Joker’ recommenced at 9:02pm and was screened with the orchestra interjecting at the selected parts right up until the film concluded prior to the credits at 10:01pm. The orchestra then performed a medley over the closing credits for a further six minutes until 10:07pm. After which the audience heartily applauded and some even stood to their feet whilst clapping. The night was a big hit!
Learn more about the ‘Joker’ film at www.warnerbros.co.uk/movies/joker
Visit The Novello Orchestra’s official website www.thenovelloorchestra.com
Find out more about David Mahoney at www.dmahoneyproductions.com
More on Beatrice Newman at www.mavronquartet.co.uk
Further information on Hildur Guðnadóttir can be located at www.hildurness.com
Find out about other events happening at Brighton Dome at brightondome.org
