Nashville Symphony Brings New Life to ‘Harry Potter’ With Incredible Live Performance

More than two decades after its release, creatives have found a new way to appreciate Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

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Recently, the Nashville Symphony enlisted conductor Justin Freer to put on a live orchestration of the 2002 film, the second in the wildly popular franchise.

Over 80 musicians gathered to play John Williams’ score live, as audiences ranging in age from three to 80 watched the movie unfold.

This isn’t Freer’s first rodeo in performing scores live. In 2013, after years of being drawn to the connection between drama and music, the conductor co-founded CineConcerts.

To date, the company has put on shows in 48 countries, playing films’ soundtracks perfectly synchronized to picture.

From Gladiator to Elf, the company has managed to infuse new life into hit movies in a way “that is incredibly unique and powerful,” Freer told American Songwriter ahead of the Harry Potter concert.

Why Harry Potter Is Perfect for the Symphony

Choosing which films to tackle isn’t an easy task, as both the movie and the score have to be compelling to Freer and audiences alike. With Harry Potter, Freer said, “it ticks all the boxes that you could ever want to tick with with the genre.”

The second film in particular, Freer said, is special thanks to the stars’ young ages, Williams’ “magic” score, Chris Columbus’ “incredible directorial input and creative expertise,” and the “generational rollover” that all of that inspires.

Of particular interest to Freer, of course, is the score, which “touches so many emotions” throughout the film.

Hearing the music live underscores that in a remarkable way, as the musicians help the audience understand why “we should or could feel afraid of Voldemort, why there’s this fanciful sense of flight with Hedwig, what these points of constant tension and release all throughout the film are.”

From the musically complicated quidditch scene, to the curious noises that accompany to Dobby, to the dark undertones that follow Lucius Malfoy, it’s not always the ultra-dramatic moments that have the greatest impact.

Rather, it’s the “tiny moments that might not be super memorable melodies, but really grab me emotionally because it’s just so perfect in the moment,” Freer said.

There are plenty of those, as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets features more than 400 tempo changes throughout its score.

“It really is a very much see it to believe it type of experience,” Freer said. “You cannot experience this any other way other than to be there with thousands of other people sharing that… There’s an energy in the room with all these folks that is impossible to replicate.”

How Live Music Enhances Film

After people get to experience the fun once, Freer hopes that they’ll find a new appreciation for “the power of music and film.”

While Harry Potter‘s most recent run at the Nashville Symphony has wrapped, audiences have plenty more chance to experience the magic of live music with film. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will step into the spotlight in November, and Elf and Home Alone will follow in December.

Next year, audiences will get the chance to take in special showings of The Wizard of Oz, Jurassic Park, Superman, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

“I hope that those that get the opportunity to hear a full motion picture scored walk away understanding just how important the music is in helping us to shape our emotional journey,” Freer said. “Music can can shape, change, adjust, or reinforce our individual emotional journeys as human beings.”

Photo by Murray Close/ Getty Images