Yesterday, my wife and I went to see something pretty special. We watched the entire movie, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, accompanied by the Richmond Symphony playing the film’s score from start to finish. To hear the score live, created by master composer John Williams, was simply spectacular.

The event was put on by CineConcerts, a company that specializes in live music events; in particular showing full movies with their scores performed live. Here is a list of all their current shows:

The Richmond Symphony was flawless in their performance; so professional that I never once heard them play a wrong note or get the least bit out of sync with the movie. The audience did cheer, clap and laugh with the movie quite often, however the screen had subtitles to assist with those moments. Be aware, while it was great to watch the movie, hearing the score live is the main priority. Here is just a brief video I took, during the scene where we see Hogwarts for the first time:

Altria theater decorated their main lobby with each of the house banners. Also, along with popcorn, candy, and other drinks, you could order a cup of the famous Potter-beverage, Butterbeer (cream soda with whipped cream).

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the movies or of live music. It’s a truly unique experience. Due to the live symphony, tickets are more expensive than a regular movie ticket, but the price is more than worth it for special occasions. We sat in the orchestra section for the leg room (we are both over 6′ tall), however the balcony seats are a little more affordable. Good rule of thumb would be don’t go to one of these events unless you’ve seen the movie and know you enjoy it.

I’d really like to see Gladiator in concert, and would love to see more films composed by John Williams added to the list: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Superman, Jurassic Park, ET…all would be fantastic accompanied by a live symphony.

Have you been to any of these movies with the score performed live? what did you think? What was you’re favorite part?