May the Fourth Philharmonic Concert Celebrates Star Wars

May the Fourth be with you!

On Thursday, May 4th, the Binghamton Philharmonic will host a Star Wars-themed concert, playing hits from the record-breaking franchise. If you haven’t seen a Star Wars movie, you’re wrong for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest is John Williams’ beautiful scores.

The score of Star Wars masterpiece unto itself, reminiscent of such composers as Wagner, Mahler, and Bruckner its depth and scope. (Don’t worry my music professors, I won’t go so far as to say as it is as brilliant; but it’s maybe the distance from the Death Star to Alderan away.) Williams brings you into a galaxy far, far away, without whispering a word. He introduces you to the Darth Vader’s commanding terror without showing his fearsome countenance, and has you celebrating with the rebels without giving you blue milk.

May the Fourth also marks principal guest conductor Daniel Hege’s last “official” concert with the Binghamton Philharmonic. Hege will be conducting the Independence Day concert, but May the Fourth marks the end of the official Philharmonic season. Over the course of the last year, Hege upheld the Philharmonic’s tradition of excellence, and helped oversee the combination of pops and classical music. “It’s a great program to go out on,” Hege says. “On the one hand, if you had to classify the program, it would be more the pops side than the classical side. On the other, it’s a great hybrid. It’s so orchestral, and the music is challenging to play. It’s a great way to close.”

The concert will feature musical selections from all seven main films of the Star Wars saga (although, to be honest, can we all just pretend the prequels don’t exist? Please? Let’s just pretend they were tone poems, and never movies). Hege is a huge fan of Williams’ music. “When I heard the Star Wars music for the first time, it was before I saw [the original release] of the movies, I was in the sixth grade. I got a cassette recorder, and my parents got me the soundtrack to the first Star Wars movie, and I was just blown away. Completely blown away by the orchestra sound, just taken with it. I was into the music, and then the movies.”

Hege has not seen the prequels (way to keep Star Wars pure, Maestro), but is intimately familiar with the music, playing it many times over the course of his career. He remarks: “The music is so colorful and rich. If you listen to ‘Across the Stars’ for example, you can see something greater than you would see on the screen; you can imagine something greater, because the music is so rich.” And that’s the beauty of seeing Star Wars music performed live: instead of seeing the galaxy before you, you are invited to imagine the limits of the galaxy in your mind.

Hege’s favorite themes from Star Wars are the “Main Theme” and “Princess Leia’s Theme.” The concert will start with the “Main Theme” and end with the “End Title/Throne Room” from Episode IV, and will include music from across the main saga, including “Battle of the Heroes” from Episode III, as well as “Rey’s Theme” from Episode VII.

May the Fourth promises to be an immersive experience. Fans are encouraged to attend in their best Star Wars regalia, whether you identify with the beauty of Princess/General Leia, or the confused arrogance of Kylo Ren. The show will also be scripted by local playwright/composer Santino DeAngelo, will feature performers dressed in character. So, don’t fall prey to The Phantom Menace of missing this concert, or be part of The Attack of the Clones and wear that same old Luke Skywalker costume you did last year. Be a part of the Revenge of the Sith and be A New Hope in costume; we need to have a General Grievious! Let The Empire Strike Back and dash The Return of the Jedi, because during May the Fourth, The Force Awakens.

The writer is very proud of stringing all those titles together. May the Fourth will take place on, of course, May 4th, at 7:30pm at the Binghamton Forum, 236 Washington St. in downtown Binghamton. Tickets range from $20-45 dollars, and are available at binghamtonphilharmonic.org. Also note, that there is no intermission. The program will last just about an hour, so parents, please feel free to bring your children knowing that they will be home in time for bed, and denizens of the Republic, know you’ll have time to meet and discuss what the heck is going on with Kylo Ren’s scar afterwards.

Stay pure Maestro (don’t see the prequels), and on behalf of Triple Cities Carousel and our community, thank you for all you’ve done, and best wishes to you as you take the next step in your career. May the Force be with you.