Duur dun… Duuur dun… Dur dun dur dun dur dun and so on.

Only two notes, an E and an F, but everyone knows what they mean – there’s something in the water and it’s getting closer.

Last night Jaws in Concert brought John Williams’s iconic score to life, as the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra accompanied a screening of Spielberg’s blockbuster at the Brighton Dome.

The orchestra took centre stage beneath a giant projection and stalked into those first deep, ominous cello notes, adding the harsh, darting trombones and horns as the tension built, looking upwards at bare legs treading water before that classic image of the teenager being dragged across the surface. Having the performers feature so prominently in front of the screen obviously placed much greater emphasis on the score.

The shark doesn’t actually appear until around 80 minutes in, so the main theme functions almost as a character in itself, creating the tension while, as always, it is the unseen which is most terrifying.

It felt like Jaws in particular was perfect for this format, with the music arguably at least as important as events on-screen. Even so, apart from the few shark attacks the first 90 minutes or so was surprisingly music-free.

The musicians sat looking anywhere but the screen, probably sick to death of the film after so many rehearsals. After the interval, as Quint and co. set out on their hour long shark showdown, the orchestra really came to the fore. With those pumping bass notes as the shark charges at the boat it became a truly immersive experience, the music filling every corner of the Dome.

The energy in the room was electrifying, helped by the fact that Jaws is still a surprisingly great film. These live orchestral scores are becoming ever more popular and it’s not hard to see why.

Jaws in Concert moves to Basingstoke, Bristol and London before crossing the Atlantic for an American tour in June.

John Holden