Benjamin Northey On How 'Jurassic Park' Can Stop Classical Going The Way Of The Dinosaur

Classical music is often seen as a "museum" art form, both by its devotees and its detractors. Lovers of this musical genre view its historical pedigree, formal pageantry, and if-you-have-to-ask-you'll-never-know protocols (hint: if in doubt, don't applaud) as signifiers of its weighty cultural value. Ironically, those who baulk at the thought of a trip to the concert hall hate it for much the same reasons.

But regardless of whether you're the type to be enraptured by the strains of an orchestra or bored stiff by it, there's a crisis affecting the classical world that is influenced by both camps. Classical audiences the world over are in steady decline, and the tipping point, when the economics of the world's great orchestras are no longer viable, is fast approaching. The hunt for a solution to this puzzle is on, but whatever the winning strategy may be, this much is certain: the survival of this noble art form will be decided not by its admirers, but by those it has yet to woo. If you're a dyed in the wool, card-carrying classical-phobe, this might not be too much of a concern for you, but it might surprise you to learn that there's one source of classical music that has won over millions of fans by stealth. Now, the broad appeal of this music is piquing the interests of even the most hardcore traditionalists in the classical sector.

For decades, Hollywood has championed the work of some of the most brilliant composers on the planet, employing their singular gifts to supercharge the emotional vitality of cinema. Of those elite scorers of film, one artist is arguably the most important music-maker of the past century: John Williams. Very few people would find humming a tune from one of Williams' scores too much of a challenge. After all, he's created the soundtracks to many of the highest grossing movies of all time - Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, E.T. and Jaws to name just a handful of his greatest hits. During Williams' six-decade career, his music has been honoured with five Oscars, four Golden Globes, seven Baftas and a mind-boggling 23 Grammys.

"I think film music offers the greatest opportunity orchestras have ever had for engaging with a more diverse crowd."

But, according to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's associate conductor, Benjamin Northey, the most laudable accomplishment of Williams' music is the influence it has had in introducing so many to the orchestral tradition. "Williams' scores connect the listener directly to the great masters of the 20th century and even going back further. You find all the richness and invention of that repertoire in his scores, which is something that orchestras can use in terms of convincing new audiences not to write off classical music as something they'll find dull," Northey shares. "For example, The Raiders Of The Lost Ark performances we staged last year sold 10,000 tickets. That's huge! It's kind of the holy grail of audience development - everybody is looking for ways to find this connection with our future concertgoers and I think film music offers the greatest opportunity orchestras have ever had for engaging with a more diverse crowd."

If this sounds like a cynical tactic, it's worth noting that the scale of Williams' popularity is matched by his technical and artistic prowess — a rare but vital combination. Even so, the inclusion of film scores in the programming of major orchestras has been met by criticism from established audience bases, unimpressed by this apparent pandering. However, this is music that can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with the great masterworks of the Western classical tradition, Northey insists. "That initial resistance is definitely falling away now, because it's become an absolutely impossible argument. There's nothing watered down or unskilled about this music in any way - in fact, it's really very taxing for the players. It requires a lot of stamina and precision to get right. One of the things I like to point out when somebody says they have reservations about major orchestra's performing more film music, is that just because it has a lot of fans doesn't mean it's rubbish. It is possible for great art to be both popular and serious," he explains.

"We mustn't forget that cinema is a medium that's still the new kid on the block. It only goes back 100 years or so, and really as a serious, multi-million dollar industry, only about 70 years, so if you compare that to opera or ballet or any other art form where music plays a significant role, film is still in its infancy. Classical music has always found a way of engaging and adapting to new mediums and art forms - opera and ballet are clear examples of this. So, I have no doubt that film music will endure in the concert hall in the future, because it's part of an obvious evolution."

The MSO's latest foray into Williams' film scores will take the audience on a trip to John Hammond's monstrous safari: Jurassic Park. The performance will see excerpts from the score played live while key scenes from Spielberg's dino-driven blockbuster are projected overhead. In Northey's opinion, it's one of cinema's greatest scores. "The main theme of Jurassic Park is a masterpiece, on the level of any of the great Romantics," he reflects. "It captures that beautiful sense of wonder when Sam Neill's character sees the dinosaurs for the first time. I find that cue extraordinarily powerful, with this majestic slow-moving theme. You can hear the footsteps of the dinosaur through it, and it perfectly judges this idea of awe but also of scale and grandeur. It's probably the simplest scene in the entire score, but it works so perfectly on every level."

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra presents Jurassic Park In Concert, 3 & 4 Mar, at Hamer Hall.