Black Panther was gorgeously added to by the Chineke! Orchestra, and is a fabulous experience overall.
Black Panther in concert is not just a show, but an experience. The Royal Albert Hall is an absolutely fantastic place to host things like this – adding to the atmosphere of the whole thing brilliantly. The orchestra performing is the Chineke! Orchestra, accompanied by Massamba Diop, a talking drum soloist. What adds to the brilliance of having Diop there was that his playing can be heard in the original film underscore.
The orchestra, conducted by Damon Gupton, were brilliantly in time with the film, increasing the audience’s engagement in the film massively – everyone was on the edge of their seats. It was fascinating to watch their synchronicity too – watching all of those playing string instruments lift their bows at the same time gave us all goosebumps watching.
One small criticism would be that sometimes the sound levels felt slightly off, something that feels important to have right in a space like this. Occasionally, the orchestra was drowned out by the talking drum, and similarly some of the lines in the film could not be heard over the music being played – as gorgeous and atmospheric as it was. I have to say that I don’t think that this should be your first watch of a film. I had seen Black Panther before, and was able to follow the film really well, especially as there were subtitles throughout the whole film – a fabulous example of simple accessibility.
Another nice touch for both us as the audience and I can imagine for the performers, who, during this film, didn’t seem to get a chance to breathe, as it is a very music heavy film, is the fact that there was an interval. It allowed the audience to comprehend and think about everything that had happened in the first half and to prepare for the second half.
As for the film itself – it was obviously gorgeous and lifted beautifully by the orchestra. As it is set in Wakanda, Africa – a continent known for its fabulous music, this was just an overall brilliant choice of film to be lifted by the orchestra.
This is a fabulous experience that I would recommend to everyone. If you love a specific film, this is a great experience.