John Jesensky discovered his life’s ambition at a 2001 screening of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
Jesensky loved the film and was equally mesmerized by John Williams’ music score. He decided right there in that darkened theater to become a film composer and conductor — aspirations he realized after many years of conservatory study. Today, one of the pieces he most often conducts is none other than the score to the first “Harry Potter” film.
Jesensky will occupy the podium as the Greenville Symphony Orchestra performs with a screening of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” Jan. 14-15 at the Peace Center.
“It’s a dream for me to be able to conduct this score live, since it made me realize I wanted to be a film composer,” Jesensky said. “John Williams vividly creates a magical world.”
Williams’ Oscar-nominated score will be performed by 70-80 Greenville Symphony instrumentalists and a female choir.
Jesensky, based in Los Angeles, enjoys a busy career as a film composer but also frequently conducts scores for film screenings in the U.S. and Europe. Jesensky’s recent concerts include “Elf” in San Francisco and “The Godfather” in Chicago.
But he frequently returns to “Harry Potter.” Jesensky estimates that he’s conducted 200 live performances of “Harry Potter.”
“I certainly have a soft spot for this score,” he said, speaking by phone during a Christmas vacation at his family’s farm in Connecticut.
‘That amazing feeling’
Orchestral performances with film screenings are a popular feature on the schedules of many symphony orchestras. The reason is easy to understand, Jesensky said.
“Even the best sound system in the world cannot replicate that amazing feeling of hearing live music with a film,” he said.
The legendary Williams, who turns 91 in February, is one of the most celebrated film composers of all time, with such scores to his credit as the “Star Wars” saga and “Indiana Jones” films. He’s as a master at setting the mood of a scene but also at representing the inner emotions of characters, Jesensky said. With five Academy Awards and 52 Academy Award nominations, Williams is the second most-nominated individual after Walt Disney.
Navigating a score
Williams’ “Harry Potter” score poses considerable challenges for orchestral musicians, especially for strings, Jesensky said. Quicksilver passages, evoking the magical mood of the film, have the violinists playing at breakneck speed.
The trickiest job for Jesensky, meanwhile, is to make sure the music lines up precisely with the film. Jesensky uses not only an orchestral score but also a small video screen with visual cues to keep pace.
“If we’re off by one or two milliseconds, the audience will be able to see that,” he said. “As long as I’ve got a great symphony orchestra like the Greenville Symphony, we can navigate even the toughest passages.”
Source: Greenville Journal
