By JESSICA NEU

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra takes the stage this weekend to perform the score to the fourth installment of the Harry Potter film series: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™. The film is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which the symphony performed in concert last year. Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, Slytherins, and Ravenclaws packed Heinz Hall Friday evening for the first of two performances of the beloved film. Conductor Justin Freer greeted the crowd and invited them on the journey of music and film, but also encouraged audiences to cheer, sneer, and laugh along the way.

The 2005 film, directed by Mike Newell and starring Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, follows Harry through his fourth year at Hogwarts. The story centers around Harry being chosen by the Goblet of Fire to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. There is much chatter in Hogwarts that Harry cheated to achieve this ranking because he is under the mandatory participation age of 17. Nevertheless, Harry competes in four different events to defeat his opponents from other countries.

 The beauty of seeing this film in concert is that you do not have to be a Potter aficionado or a symphony expert to enjoy this experience. There is something in this film for everyone – action, suspense, humor, and magic. Moreover, the PSO’s talent augments every nuance of this exciting film to create a world that blends the fantastical with the real right in Heinz Hall. This event is perfect for those who are not avid symphony goers to experience live orchestra music in a historic venue.

The brilliance of the PSO is on full display as their impeccable musicality and timing bring sound to motion but never detract from the film’s action. Instead, their music creates an immersive experience as they continuously negotiate the space between, allowing their music to serve as both the foreground and the background of the film. The perfectly timed percussion reverberates through Heinz Hall as Harry’s opponent, Viktor Krum, pounds his wizard’s staff upon entering Hogwarts. As Harry swoops through the air chased by a fire-breathing dragon, the symphony swells, adding intensity to the chase, but does not overpower the sound of the dragon crashing into the castles and bridges during flight.

The symphony shifts from a crescendo to mark the end of Harry’s nightmare to the subtlety of chimes to capture gentle movement, such as the lightness of footsteps gliding to the ground. The orchestra brings sound to movement, which prompts audiences to pay greater attention to specific details that may have been lost within the scope of such a grandiose film. Their performance magnifies the beauty in such basic events as a bird flapping its wings through the air or a lady delicately walking down the aisle of Hogwarts. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in concert, melds your senses together to create an experience that epitomizes being present and immersed in a piece of art. This sensory-rich experience is driven predominantly by the beauty of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra but also by Newell’s sweeping and suspenseful film and, of course, a little bit of magic. Because, as Harry gleefully states before preparing for battle, “I love magic.”

TICKETS AND DETAILS:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™ in Concert has a remaining performance at Heinz Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 2:30 pm. Tickets at: https://pittsburghsymphony.org/production/86921/performance/86921/seat_selection

Categories: Reviews