Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert

The Oregon Symphony is bringing Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Saturday, January 16, and Sunday, January 17. It's part of their Film Concerts series, and the format is exactly what it sounds like: the orchestra performs John Williams' Oscar-winning score live to the film. The whole thing is licensed by Disney Concerts in association with Lucasfilm and Warner/Chappell Music, and it's framed as part of the film's 50th anniversary.

If you've seen the movie a dozen times, this is a different way to experience it. Instead of the recorded track you're used to, the music is coming from the stage in real time, timed to the action on screen. Williams' score is one of the most recognizable in cinema, and hearing it played by a full symphony rather than through speakers changes the whole feel of the movie. It's a live performance of the music, not a screening with a soundtrack playing in the background.

The venue is the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall at 1037 SW Broadway in downtown Portland. It started as a grand movie palace, and it's still regarded as one of the city's most elegant stages, with nearly a century of music and performance behind it. The room is built for this kind of thing, and the scale of the hall fits the scale of a full orchestra.

There are two performances to choose from: Saturday, January 16, at 7:30 PM and Sunday, January 17, at 2:00 PM. Seating is reserved, and the doors open one hour before each show, so you've got plenty of time to get settled before the lights go down. Tickets are sold through the Oregon Symphony rather than the Portland'5 Box Office, so head to their site to grab yours.