“The musical magic of John Williams remains unmatched in this wonderfully evocative evening out for the entire family“
Twenty five years ago, the psyche of an entire generation was captured in cinematic gold with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Fresh from the success of the best-selling books the films were based on, its cinematic universe generated a cultural zeitgeist that has spawned myriad diffiferent ways to enjoy the characters and their stories.
So it is with absolute pleasure that we find ourselves in the grandest of British concert halls, the Royal Albert Hall for a sensational combination of cinema screening and live classic concert. A huge screen draped in front of the mighty organ projects the first film in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or Sorcerer’s Stone for those Americans). Beneath that performs the wonderful Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Justin Freer.
For those unfamiliar with the plot, which young orphan Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe) is living with his insufferable aunt and uncle in suburban Surrey when he learns an astonishing revelation. He is a wizard. Magical characters and creatures abound as he sets of for his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he meets his two best friends Ron Weasley (played by Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (played by Emma Watson). The trio get themselves into all sorts of trouble as they try to figure out what is the cause of unusual events and go on perilous adventures for eleven year olds. The first film remains fabulously designed, setting up the intensely immersive world building of the wider Hogwarts world and the fascinating characters to be discovered over the course of this film and the entire series.
Complimenting the cinematic experience is of course the live orchestra. John Williams’ sumptuous score is iconic and hearing it live alongside key scenes is simply wonderful. At some points the sounds mixing and immaculate timekeeping were so syncronised that you forget the music is actually live- the relationship between audiovisual is seamless. The string section was particularly mellifluous alongside the famous glockenspiel solo melody of Hedwig’s theme. By the time the brass section kcicks in combined with the woodwind it’s truly immersive. One of the benefits of the live orchestra playing the score from begging to end is that you spot incredible composition previously unnoticed. One particular moment involved the kettle drums during a dangerous fight scene and it felt incredibly nostlatic, almost from a Ray Harryhausen film segment from the 60s. It is clear where Williams took inspiration from throughout classic Hollywood.
This is all complimented by the magnificent Philharmonia Chorus, who pepper proceedings with haunting choral vocalizations at key moments. It’s truly a magical experience. The effect of combining nostalgic cinema, live orchestral perfection of an iconic score is staggeringly immersive and joyful to experience. At three hours total, the subtitles and intermission kept things comfortable, while the ability to munch on popcorn made it feel more relaxed.
Whether you have seen the film a million times or are new to the Harry Potter series, the sense of childlike wonder and fantastic world-building cannot be beaten. The glamorous hall itself acts as a perfect backdrop for this absolutely packed audience. There is quite simply nothing else like it.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was shown on 25th-27th September 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall, London as part of their Films in Concert series.
Twenty five years ago, the psyche of an entire generation was captured in cinematic gold with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Fresh from the success of the best-selling books the films were based on, its cinematic universe generated a cultural zeitgeist that has spawned myriad diffiferent ways to enjoy the characters and their stories.
So it is with absolute pleasure that we find ourselves in the grandest of British concert halls, the Royal Albert Hall for a sensational combination of cinema screening and live classic concert. A huge screen draped in front of the mighty organ projects the first film in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or Sorcerer’s Stone for those Americans). Beneath that performs the wonderful Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Justin Freer.
For those unfamiliar with the plot, which young orphan Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe) is living with his insufferable aunt and uncle in suburban Surrey when he learns an astonishing revelation. He is a wizard. Magical characters and creatures abound as he sets of for his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he meets his two best friends Ron Weasley (played by Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (played by Emma Watson). The trio get themselves into all sorts of trouble as they try to figure out what is the cause of unusual events and go on perilous adventures for eleven year olds. The first film remains fabulously designed, setting up the intensely immersive world building of the wider Hogwarts world and the fascinating characters to be discovered over the course of this film and the entire series.
Complimenting the cinematic experience is of course the live orchestra. John Williams’ sumptuous score is iconic and hearing it live alongside key scenes is simply wonderful. At some points the sounds mixing and immaculate timekeeping were so syncronised that you forget the music is actually live- the relationship between audiovisual is seamless. The string section was particularly mellifluous alongside the famous glockenspiel solo melody of Hedwig’s theme. By the time the brass section kcicks in combined with the woodwind it’s truly immersive. One of the benefits of the live orchestra playing the score from begging to end is that you spot incredible composition previously unnoticed. One particular moment involved the kettle drums during a dangerous fight scene and it felt incredibly nostlatic, almost from a Ray Harryhausen film segment from the 60s. It is clear where Williams took inspiration from throughout classic Hollywood.
This is all complimented by the magnificent Philharmonia Chorus, who pepper proceedings with haunting choral vocalizations at key moments. It’s truly a magical experience. The effect of combining nostalgic cinema, live orchestral perfection of an iconic score is staggeringly immersive and joyful to experience. At three hours total, the subtitles and intermission kept things comfortable, while the ability to munch on popcorn made it feel more relaxed.
Whether you have seen the film a million times or are new to the Harry Potter series, the sense of childlike wonder and fantastic world-building cannot be beaten. The glamorous hall itself acts as a perfect backdrop for this absolutely packed audience. There is quite simply nothing else like it.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was shown on 25th-27th September 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall, London as part of their Films in Concert series.