Saturday Night at The Movies, a song recorded by The Drifters in 1964, with its catchy chorus and the suggestion that you’d be all cuddled up with your sweetheart watching the latest flick. Wind forward sixty years for a quite different night at the movies with The Films in Concert season at The Royal Albert Hall which had a relaunch in 2009 (the first ever screening in the Hall was in 1905). On Friday night I was there for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in Concert featuring the Chineke! Orchestra, conducted by Damon Gupton, and talking drum soloist Massamba Diop, who played on the film’s original soundtrack. Ask anybody who has seen the film what they remember and they will probably say “Wakanda Forever.” If superheroes are not your bag and you think what the hell let’s give it a go, then this is the way to do it. Projected onto a giant screen with an orchestra playing Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar and Grammy winning score is a treat. Just don’t forget your popcorn, which can be purchased on your way into the auditorium. Then settle into your comfy seat, and as they say in the USA, “you’re all set.”
An energised Gupton, conducting an equally exuberant orchestra brought the score gloriously to life, adding a whole new dimension to an already spectacular film. The combination of sweeping orchestral sounds, African rhythms, pounding percussion and the sheer scale of the Royal Albert Hall made for a gripping and immersive experience. My Marvel novice companion, along with hundreds in the audience – many of whom seemed to be avid cinephiles listening to their banter during the interval – were so engrossed with what is a history making film that we soon forgot there was an orchestra on stage. In case you’re wondering that is a compliment to Chineke! so in sync were they with the action on screen, no mean feat when you consider Wakanda is in the middle of saving the world.
However, bearing in mind the nature of the film and the star-studded cast, the shining light of the evening was Diop, the Senegalese master of the tama (talking drum) His playing was extraordinary, and so animated at times that I found myself watching him rather than the screen. The instrument he plays is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa (there are other talking drums around the world) and with expert playing it can mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It requires finely tuned skills, and he changed the pitch by manipulating the leather tension cords which connect the two drumheads. Knowing that his distinctive playing helped create the original, iconic sound of Black Panther made watching him perform live even more special. Extraordinary.
These events attract diverse audiences – ages, backgrounds, music and film lovers and pleasure seekers looking for a good night out in a “special” venue, personifying the point of arts and culture at their best, when there’s room for everyone. And everyone here loved it. It was probably the first time that so many people had watched a film’s closing credits all the way to the end. My attempt at impromptu vox pops had many willing participants, and their enthusiasm was infectious, each one wanting to add to what they had already heard. In my world where less is more my favourite comment came from a young 10-year lad, who looked at me wide-eyed with a beaming smile and exclaimed “Wow, wow, wow!”.
Wakanda forever indeed and long live the talking drum. Next up for us is a tribute to movie music maestro John Williams. Cue the Star Wars theme…
Films in Concert – www.royalalberthall.com