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The Music of Bond, presented by the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, returns for one night to the Royal Albert
Hall in October...
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The Music of Bond
19th August 2010
The Music of Bond, presented by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,
returns following its debut performance last year to the Royal
Albert Hall on Sunday 31st October 2010. With Bond girl nor
Blackman returning as special
guest present, this night is one not to be missed for Bond fans
and music lovers alike.
The programme will include all the title songs list on the flyer
below,
plus purely
orchestral works including the main James Bond theme and scenes
from Goldfinger and
On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Last year's event was a sell-out,
so be sure to book your tickets soon via the official Royal
Albert Hall event
website.
2009 Show Review (Hampstead & Highgate
Express)
There are few things that define James Bond more than its music.
The succession of powerful themes which have accompanied five
decades of films – starring Ian Fleming’s fictional
spy – are as famous as the gadgets, the girls and the guns.
And while some of the big screen offerings may have failed to
impress, the music has been consistently good. This is largely
thanks to composers, notably John Barry and more recently David
Arnold. The artists too have made their mark with the inimitable
powerhouse voices of Dame Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Lulu and
Louis Armstrong among them.
So this performance at the Royal Albert Hall had much to live
up to. But then this was the world-renowned Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra so there wasn’t too much to worry about. The
orchestra really shines in the Albert Hall where the acoustics
accentuated the magnitude of the music. And the Bond theme is
a perfect vehicle with its passionate, dramatic and soaring score.
The compere for the night was the delightful Honor Blackman,
best known for her role as one of the most memorable Bond girls – Pussy
Galore in Goldfinger. She took the audience on a journey through
the history of
Bond films starting with Dr No in 1962 starring Sean Connery
right through to 2008’s Quantum of Solace with Daniel Craig
in the title role. Ms Blackman’s inside knowledge provided
much amusement as did her quips about the other Bonds and villains.
But this was ultimately about the music. Full marks to the vocalists – Simon
Bowman and Mary Carewe – for taking on iconic songs such
as Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever and Thunderball but the shadow
of Bassey and Jones loomed heavily. That’s not to say the
singing was bad – View to a Kill, Licence to Kill and The
World is
not Enough were simply sublime and were more than a match for
the originals. The orchestra – led by conductor
Carl Davis – was the true star here and never failed to
disappoint. From the opening of The James Bond Theme to the Goldfinger
instrumental and – possibly the highlight – On Her
Majesty’s Secret Service.
It is such a pleasure to see an ensemble on a grand scale in
a venue where you are never far from the stage, so that you can
appreciate the collective talents laid before you. And judging
by the rapturous applause from he audience as the finale played
out, there were few people who could disagree.
