Review: The Hallé - The Music of James Bond

 I buttoned up my finest tuxedo, tied my bowtie and stopped off at a classy bar for a vodka martini (shaken, not stirred) on my way to The Royal Concert Hall to watch resident orchestra The Hallé performing the music of James Bond movies. Sadly I wasn't driving an Aston Martin to the theatre.

The evening of music began with the classic 007 theme from Dr. No (1962), violins and cello started the piece off, before the trumpets entered, followed by the twangy guitar signature motif. A cracking piece of music, the epitome, the true essence of Bond. Instantly recognisable, it was the perfect way to open the show. Conductor Stephen Bell, dressed in a smart, but cool, white tux led his orchestra with all the style, poise and brilliance of the finest Bond villain. He’s a wonderful presence on stage, full of interesting facts and a wonderful personality always ready for a playful moment, whilst remaining committed to his task. 

Guest singers Alison Jiear and Matthew Ford perform brilliantly covering a variety of different styles across the decade, providing tremendous vocals for themes from Shirley Bassey’s Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and Goldfinger (1964) to Sam Smith’s Writing’s On The Wall, Spectre (2015).   

We were treated to a brilliant instrumental, electric guitar heavy, version of Paul McCartney’s Live and Let Die (1973). The only thing missing at this point was someone to sing the lyrics, perhaps Ford didn’t want to try to emulate either McCartney or Axl Rose… a very difficult task indeed, although had be attempted it, I’m sure this very accomplished vocalist would have, somehow, managed to do it justice.

Themes and music from the likes of From Russia with Love (1963) and Tom Jones’s Thunderball (1965) were performed superbly by Ford - even to the final (very long) note, whilst Quantum of Solace allowed him to perform a rare Bond theme duet with Jiear.

Skyfall - widely regarded as one of the very best modern day Bond themes - so well known as it was performed by the nation's music sweetheart Adele was a standout moment. Her hit song rounded out the first half of the show and was met, naturally, by rapturous applause. 

Duran Duran’s The Living Daylights (1987) which although when sung originally was frankly a bit awful (so very, very eighties! - something that Bell jokingly points out) but Ford handles it rather well… making a slightly irritating eighties tune, enjoyable - a difficult task - especially considering the terrible chorus. He also takes the vocals for Chris Cornell’s You Know My Name, from Casino Royale (2006) - again a tricky task to live up to the lead singer of superstar grunge outfit Sound Garden, but one that Ford managed with aplomb. 

Jiear also sang John Barry’s Diamonds Are Forever (1971) of course made famous by Shirley Bassey, the only person to have sung three Bond themes, also including Moonraker (1979). And there were moments of playful and good natured flirting between Jiear and Bell as she serenaded him with Nobody Does It Better (Carole Sager/Marvin Hamlisch) from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Billie Eilish’s No Time To Die (2021) was also a huge crowd pleaser.

Listening to these evocative songs and themes, creates pictures in the mind of all of the Bond stars, and Bond girls, the guns, the cars, the espionage, the villains… they all come to mind. The show featured music from all of the best known, and most loved, 007’s movies from the last sixty years. Fans of Bond were thrilled, but there was no prerequisite to be a Bond fan to enjoy this excellent selection of music performed by the incomparable Hallé orchestra. 

One thing I would loved to have seen at the end of the show is for The Halle to have performed the theme tune from Austin Powers. Groovy baby!

The Hallé Film Music Concert: The Music of James Bond was performed at The Royal Concert Hall on Saturday 19 March 2022