Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular 2015

Each fan has their own Doctor. Maybe their Doctor wasn't the greatest actor. Maybe he didn't have the best scripts. But he's the one they grew up with, who held their hand as they ventured into time and space.

For me it's Peter Davison. For B, David Tennant. Alex has Matt Smith. I wonder if Colin Baker has anyone?

That's the level and target of humour on display at the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular 2015, as hosted again by my Doctor. B and Alex complained it flew right over their heads, but there were enough true Whovians in the audience to laugh loudly.

Another year, another Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and another Symphonic Spectacular, my fourth. I attended this one in my current city of abode, Sydney. Last time it was here, The Metropolitan Orchestra performed at the Opera House, today it was Qantas Credit Union Arena, formerly the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

I think it sounded better, although a bit too much sound appeared to come from the speakers above us rather than the orchestra proper. We were at the side of the stage, near the bottom of the ring, a lot closer to the action than the previous three times. That meant seeing Mr Davison up closer too, though sadly none of the aliens actually came up the stairs close to us, as they would have done in previous concerts had we been so close.

The Metropolitan Orchestra was joined by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and soloist singer Antoinette Halloran. All sounded virtually perfect and I was very impressed. Conductor Ben Foster was amazing to watch up close, conveying and sharing in the emotion of the music through his baton skills, and adding the odd bit of interaction with Peter Davison and "acting" (courtesy of mentor Colin Baker). As an aside, his own compositions are well worth a listen as well.

I was very pleased with the selection of music this time. The soundtrack to Series 8 hasn't been released yet, so that music was still quite fresh and new. But there were also some of the best themes from back to the beginning of the series' reboot. A good balance was struck in my opinion.

The programme is listed below with some brief notes.

A Good Man?

The Thirteenth Doctor's theme might sound simple at first listen, but its driven energy has made it a real highlight of the last season. I had shivers down my spine as the orchestra started playing it.

Wherever, Whenever (Anywhere in Time and Space)

A suite of highlights from Series 8, the music mostly soared, but had some quieter moments. Despite my previously brief acquaintance with many of the themes I really enjoyed it.

The Doctor's Theme/Song of Freedom

A combination of the wonderful Doctor's Theme Series 4 and the Song of Freedom, also from that series, this was magnificent, the reminder on the big screen of the Doctor and his companions, including Sarah Jane Smith (the late Elizabeth Sladen) saving the Universe from the Daleks just made it more poignant.

The Companions

The Doctor's companions returned with this medley of beautiful themes for Rose, Martha, Donna and Amy. It's funny how Alex reacted best to Donna's section, even though it's one of my least favourite parts.

To Darkness

The ominous and powerful chorus of the Daleks, mostly from Series 4, followed by new music for the Series 8 episode "Into the Dalek". Of course there were Daleks in the theatre doing their schtick.

Last Christmas Suite

Music from the latest Christmas special. Like many of the Christmas specials, it was a bit light on depth, but still enjoyable.

We then had an interval for 20 minutes.

All the Strange, Strange Creatures

A favourite from Series 3, this music is dedicated to the large number of aliens that the Doctor battles or befriends. Many of them appeared around the venue. I was glad that this was the introduction to the second session because it is one of Alex's best loved themes.

The Impossible Girl

Clara's gentle and whimsical theme, a highlight from the last couple of series.

66 Seconds

The scary mummy on the space borne Orient Express made an appearance, scaring Alex a little. New music and not so familiar, I'll reserve judgement for now.

The Pandorica Suite

Music from the final episodes of Series 5, it also featured in the first two concerts. But it's exciting and the look on Alex's face when it closed with the wonderful "I am the Doctor" theme, otherwise missing from this concert, was priceless. 

Abigail's Song

The beautiful song from "A Christmas Carol" is one of the concert staples, and deservedly so.

Fifty - This is Gallifrey

First heard in Series 3, this is another favourite, evoking the Doctor's memories of his childhood home. Unlike the first couple of times it was played at the concerts there were no visuals of regenerations, so no disruptive cheers from the audience. Instead it was set to scenes of the 50th anniversary special. I loved it.

Death in Heaven Suite

The Master (well, Missy now) and the Cybermen return in the Series 8 finale. Exciting and uplifting (literally), the suite includes the theme for the latest Doctor, making for a fantastic finale for the printed program.

Naturally, there were encores.

Vale Decem

The dramatically sad song for the demise of David Tennant's much loved Doctor featured visuals for each of his regenerations, bringing out cheers from the audience (though strangely lacking for Colin Baker).

Doctor Who Theme

You knew it would end like this. And of course it should, with such and energetic and exciting rendition of the classic theme.

All in all an excellent performance. I hope the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular has many more regenerations left in it!

Previous concerts

• Melbourne 2012
• Sydney 2012
• Melbourne 2014

Apologies for the photos, only pocket cameras were allowed in, so I only had my mobile phone.

Sci-Fi Classics with the SSO

I got a call the other day from the folk at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

"We've noticed that you've been to a number of concerts this year. We have a great range of concerts coming up in our 2015 season and we are wondering if you are interested in any packages?"

"Do you have any concerts with film music?" I reply.

"No, we are alternating between film scores one year and world and contemporary music the next. Are you interested in world music or jazz?"

Err, no, not really. Sure, they have some classical concerts that I might like, such as Holst's Planets, but not four concerts that I would shell out for right now.

Truth be told I've felt very lucky for the past couple of years and my bank balance could do with a break. This year alone I've been to the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular in Melbourne, the brilliant Robertson Conducts Williams concert with the Sydney Symphony and the same orchestra playing Gladiator live to the film.

And then there was tonight. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra plays Sci-fi Classics at the Sydney Opera House.

This was billed as a populist concert rather than Serious Music, but that's fine as I was in the mood for some fun. I've had issues with the SSO before, but then I heard just how well they can play under the baton of the current artistic director, conductor David Robertson.

Tonight's conductor was Guy Noble, who I've heard a number of times before and who is also an announcer of ABC Classic FM. You may have seen his face in the inflight audio section of the Qantas magazine as well. He's a bit of a showman.

I attended the concert with my brother Jon who has also developed a love of film music, though not quite at my obsessive levels.

Free programs were available in the foyer. The concert didn't quite follow the program, as there were some rearrangements and additions.

We were seated in the wings about the middle of the orchestra, level with the brass section with the small choir on our left and the conductor on our right. Most of the cheaper seats were filled, but I noticed a number of the pricier premium seat empty. Too expensive SSO!

Although our seating meant that the sound wasn't quite balanced it gives a great view of the orchestra itself, especially the energetic percussionists.

Unfortunately, it also meant that we could clearly hear the issues with the French horn section. It is obviously a difficult instrument to play. But their playing was, at times, atrocious.

As an aside why does the SSO so often hold night concerts? For those of us who have to catch public transport home it means we have to put up with drunk psychos who talk to themselves and complain about footy, toilets, Poms and Romans. Like the bloke sitting next to me just then.

Anyway, back to the horns. One horn player in particular hit a number of wrong notes, including during a solo. And it's not the first time either, I've heard this before with the SSO. I suspect that without Robertson's firm and respected hand that certain sections of the orchestra get lazy with music that they don't consider "real". I expect better from an orchestra that lauds itself as "world class".

The concert started with Goldsmith and Courage's wondrous and energetic main title from Star Trek: The Next Generation, complete with a tacky voiceover spoofing "Space, the final frontier..."

John Ottman's music from X2: X-Men United was somewhat lacklustre in comparison. Not in the same class as some of the other composers featured tonight.

Then followed a couple of classical items from 2001 - A Space Odyssey. Ligeti's Lux Aeterna consisted simply of otherworldly singing by the choir, quite interesting and 20th Century. Strauss' famous Blue Danube Waltz was well played by an orchestra which probably respects him more than the other composers of the night, but I hate Strauss. All of them. All the bloody waltzes. I hate waltzes.

More Goldsmith now with the End Title from Alien. I find the Alien soundtrack not the most pleasant listen, but I quite enjoyed hearing it here.

Whereas the last Aliens burst from chests the next piece was about one with a glowing torso. John Williams' Flying Theme from ET the Extra-Terrestrial was typically exciting and was played pretty well by a very busy orchestra, though again the brass section was a little lacking.

It's been years since I've heard Danny Elfman's Theme from Batman. The theme is quite simple and repetitive, but the orchestration and energy is what made this piece a very fun listen.

We had an addition to the program with Princess Leia's Theme from Star Wars. While the strings and woodwind played beautifully it was here that the horns most noticeably stuffed up with off key and double notes and it really detracted from the performance.

Also from John Williams' music from the Star Wars movies was Duel of the Fates, which heavily features the choir. I think the choir was probably too small for a proper rendition, but it was a thrilling way to end the session and go to the interval.

The conductor re-entered the hall to a roar of laughter, walking funnily and wearing the pale blue costume and yellow sash of Virgil Tracy from the Thunderbirds. He proceeded to conduct as if connected to marionette strings Barry Gray's March from Thunderbirds. I grew up watching reruns of the Thunderbirds at 6 am on Saturday mornings and there were many happy memories in this rendition.

Noble then stripped off his Thunderbirds costume to reveal a yellow Star Trek officer outfit. But the next piece predated that series. I've not listened to much of Bernard Herrmann's music, despite his position as one of the original greats of film music. The suite from The Day the Earth Stood Still was interesting, especially for its use of the theremin. This, for me, was one to see live and not for frequent listening.

I've heard a lot of variations of Ron Grainer's (and Delia Derbyshire's!) Doctor Who theme, especially as Alex likes to use it as settling music. None were like this, a funkified 70's band piece. Why they couldn't use one of Murray Gold's mostly brilliant arrangements I don't know, but I suggest they try.

The Doctor is a time traveller and the next rearrangement of the printed program perhaps reflected this with a couple of pieces, including Time from Hans Zimmer's score to Inception. It's very pleasant music, involving mainly the electric guitar and strings, but perhaps not great orchestral music. Noble asked for a show of hands from audience members who understood Inception, but seemed to doubt that anyone did. I will quite proudly then boast that I "got it" the first time I saw it. Well, recursion is a common programming and mathematical tool.

Back to John Williams with one of the decreasingly few pieces of his I don't have in my collection, a Suite from Lost in Space. It dates back to his very early years as a composer and while showing signs of his future sophistication it is not some of his best music.

Another shuffle and we revisited Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek themes with music from Star Trek: Insurrection. Part of Goldsmith's brilliance is that he could compose wonderful melodies no matter how dire the movie and there is a rich selection to choose from in his Star Trek scores. The gentle melodic beauty of the Ba'ku village theme contrasts wonderfully with the exciting Enterprise main theme. Just a pity that the horn section again made errors.

The printed program ended with a suite by James Horner from Avatar. Some of the "ethnic" sounds were obviously difficult to reproduce and again the orchestra and choir seemed to lack balance, but it was still both fun to listen to and to watch the percussionists at work.

An encore was a given and what could it be (so correctly spotted from the score sheets by Jon) than the main theme to Star Wars? It was a bit hurried, but it served to demonstrate why John Williams is such a great composer. There is such a rich complexity to his music, so many things to listen for.

And so ended the concert. Jon reported to me that he heard some of the performers complaining earlier that they weren't playing "real music" and I think that attitude showed on the night. But despite my complaints, I didn't go into this performance expecting the same standards as Robertson's earlier concert and I did enjoy myself.

That's probably it for orchestral concerts this year, but we've already booked to see The Metropolitan Orchestra perform the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular in Sydney in February. Woo oooh!

A 50th Anniversary Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular

Late last year the BBC science fiction drama Doctor Who celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. The iconic title music is instantly recognisable, but since the show's reboot in 2005 we have been treated to Murray Gold's excellent incidental score, involving both electronic and orchestral elements.

I've been fortunate enough to attend a couple of previous performances of Gold's music from Doctor Who, first in Melbourne, then Sydney, both back in 2012. Naturally, as soon as I heard that another performance was scheduled for Melbourne this year I went and booked straight away.

And so it was that B (my wife), Alex (aged 5 now) and I found ourselves down in Melbourne for the Saturday matinee session.

After the two previous performances we knew what to expect at the Melbourne Convention Centre - a crowd with more fezes than all of Morocco, an excellent orchestra (love the Melbourne Symphony), the excellent series orchestrator Ben Foster on conducting duties and lots of Doctor Who aliens populating the show.

This time we had Peter Davison as compere, which was a wonderful treat. Davison played the fifth incarnation of the Doctor (and is incidentally the father-in-law of the tenth in real life), the Doctor I grew up with. Befitting of a Doctor whose costume was a cricketing outfit, there were plenty of Ashes jokes. And do watch the Fiveish Doctors - it's a great treat for a fan.

Also fantastic were the pre-recorded videos from Tom Baker, Doctor number four and the favourite of many fans, as he shared anecdotes of his appearance on the fiftieth anniversary episode, his gratitude towards fans and, of course, his special brand of humour.

With Alex starting school tomorrow I don't have time for a detailed review, but I'll sketch out some quick notes.

The Madman with a Box

A quiet beginning to the concert, same as at Sydney, but it worked pretty well. Maybe The Majestic Tale of a Madman with a Box might have worked better.

I am the Doctor

The theme associated with Matt Smith's 11th Doctor is always exciting and this rendition felt even more energetic than usual. Missed some of the lovely later bars of the original, but the Words Win Wars continuation quickly dispelled any lingering disappointment. Various costumed creatures made their appearance on stage and around the hall.

The Companions

I have lamented before about the lack of music from earlier seasons of the reboot, but here we were treated to a suite of themes for Rose, Martha, Donna and Amy. Lovely.

Cyber Shard

Now for some Series 7 excitement, with the Cybermen attacking from Nightmare in Silver and anti-gravity motorcycles from The Bells of Saint John. No Bah Bah Biker surprisingly, but it didn't matter because this was loud and fun.

Abigail's Song

Excitement over, soprano Antoinette Halloran performed the haunting song from A Christmas Carol. Alex started to get fidgety and was making too much noise with his sonic screwdriver.

Classic Doctor Who Medley

Back to the classic era of Doctor Who with a medley of music from the various composers of that era. I have to say that I paid very little attention to the music prior to the Sylvester McCoy episodes, but I found myself rather enjoying the medley, along with the accompanying scenes from the program and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. It was from before B and Alex's time though.

The Final Chapter of Amelia Pond

Music and imagery to accompany the last appearance of the companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams that built to a powerful crescendo. Very affecting.

 The Rings of Akhaten

Child soprano Greta Wilkinson and tenor Paul McMahon performed this gentle song to round off the first half of the concert. 

All the Strange, Strange Creatures

The action theme for David Tennant's Doctor is one of Alex's favourites and was even more exciting live than in recordings as a succession of aliens appeared on the big screens above the stage. Fantastic!

The Impossible Girl

I love this delicate theme for Clara.

First There Were Daleks

More early season music, this time the loud chorus to the Doctor's most feared enemy, the Daleks. The music and imagery brought a visceral fear to the concert, more so than the "New Paradigm" Daleks patrolling the floor and accusing Ben Foster of over acting! Almost enough to get you hiding behind the seats in front of you!

The Name of the Doctor

The Doctor arrives on the planet of his death. I was a bit surprised it lacked some of the excellent themes from this episode, especially A Secret He Will Take to His Grave, but I nonetheless enjoyed it.

Fifty

A celebration of fifty years of Doctor Who, starting with This is Gallifrey, it was the first time I've been able to really enjoy a live performance of that emotive music with cheering at every regeneration - it wasn't shown this time. Then it moved to a new perfomance, the Song for Fifty, with Antoinette Halloran and Paul McMahon singing. Unfamiliar, it dragged a bit. Further listening, when it becomes available, may bring out the nuances and further enjoyment.

The Time of the Doctor

Matt Smith's final episode, the recent Christmas special, was both poignant and exciting.

That brought the programmed music to a close, but naturally there were a couple of extras.

Vale Decem   

This time sung by soprano Halloran rather than a counter-tenor, the regeneration sequences were now complete as the music carried the emotions of David Tennant's end.

Doctor Who Theme

How else could the concert end but with the title music to Doctor Who? But somehow it managed to be even more rousing than ever before. What a finish!

I thoroughly enjoyed this performance of the music to Doctor Who. There was a wonderful balance between the old and the new. My only quibble was that I felt that the music from the speakers (electronics, not people) possibly overwhelmed the actual sound from the orchestra. But that soon receded into the background.

B wasn't as familiar with some of the Series 7 music (she won't let me play it in the car) and with the classic era of Doctor Who, so she didn't enjoy this concert as much. And unfortunately, Alex was also affected by this and was rather troublesome at times. A pity after he behaved so well at many orchestral concerts. Growing up perhaps.

Anyway, I still got tingles down my spine during the performance and have been hearing the performances resound in my head in the days afterwards. Long may Doctor Who remain on our screens and long may Murray Gold and Ben Foster keep doing the music for it!

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