It’s been one and a half years since I last heard an orchestra play live. Not only did the pandemic cancel live performances, but it especially cancelled the music I want to hear: Movie scores.

Just over four years ago we raced down to Melbourne to listen to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform Jurassic Park in Concert. In Sydney it looks like the Sydney Symphony has given up on such things and it was left to the excellent Metropolitan Orchestra to perform it.

But just as things are starting to go back to normal, another covid scare in Sydney. It certainly puts a damper on things, but I decided to risk it. Now I’m just hoping that nobody around me was spreading the virus.

After the best tonkotsu ramen, courtesy of Gumshara at Eating World, I rocked up to the Aware Super Theatre (naming rights are so dumb) at Darling Harbour. Nearby was the XOPP restaurant, a recent covid exposure site.

Darling Harbour is very impressive at night now. Been a while since I was in the area. The exterior of the theatre was bright with concert signs and advertising.

I had a fantastic seat in the theatre, but there was no social distancing. It was packed. What’s more, despite compulsory masks indoors, plenty took them off once inside, like the bandana bro next to me and his babe companion, or wore them below the nose. This selfishness really pissed me off.

If you want to know my feelings about Jurassic Park, read my last review, but the Journey to the Island sequence and the first sighting of the dinosaurs is still one of my favourite moments in movie history. The Met Orchestra did it proud with their performance.

The whole movie stands up to repeat viewings. Even so, there were plenty of other really wonderful, exciting passages where I focussed more on the orchestra than the film being screened above them.

I did feel the sound wasn’t quite the best, a bit harsh, especially from the brass section. Maybe this is an artifact of being played live. There was no doubting the technical skills of the orchestra however, as there are definitely some tricky parts to the score. Having seen them perform movie music up close before I know that there is a lot of love for it too.

The night ended with an strangely slow encore of The Raiders March, advertising another upcoming concert for Raiders of the Lost Ark. I’ve seen the Sydney Symphony Orchestra perform this score at the Opera House before, but I’d love to hear it again.

If I don’t go, you’ll know I caught The Rona tonight and you can set the velociraptors on those who spread it.