The Paraorchestra’s Virtuous Circle
The Virtuous Circle – ‘an orchestra as the embodiment of teamwork’. And teamwork is indeed crucial if a white-clad orchestra and six dancers, several of them in wheelchairs, are not only to perform a Mozart symphony, but to do so while wandering through an audience inhabiting the same floorspace.
Making life even harder for them, the four movements of the symphony were punctuated by three new works by Oliver Vibrans, a successful composer of music for theatre, film, art installations, radio and the concert hall and himself a wheelchair user.
As you may gather from the clips, there was a long narrow stage at one end of the Clore Ballroom in the Festival Hall. There was also a small stage in the middle with a ramp running up to it. Action, in terms of both playing and dancing, took place on the large stage, the small stage and all around the hall amongst the audience.
Newcomers to immersive performances may be somewhat discombobulated to find themselves bumping into a cello or coming face to face with a French horn. But they will be in awe of the concentration needed by both players and dancers – not only to give a convincing performance of the music but to know where they are meant to be at any given time and to avoid clumsier members of the audience actually colliding with them. However, it certainly made for an exciting evening while the transitions between Mozart’s much loved Symphony Number 40 and Oliver Vibrans’ ‘intermissions’ was seamless.
The work was first performed as part of last year’s Proms season at the Bristol Beacon. Hopefully it will have another outing soon. Meanwhile, for those who have not heard of the Paraorchestra it is the brainchild of conductor Charles Hazlewood; formed in 2011 as a vehicle to enable better integration of talented disabled people into music and performing arts in general. The orchestra took part in the 2012 Paralympic games and now have a full programme both in Bristol where they are based and elsewhere. They also run a number of programmes designed to address what disabled performers see as the most critical blocks to their development as artists.
Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre
Not a musical event, but another immersive one – and such a delight that I felt I had to mention it – especially as, inexplicably, the theatre was nowhere near full.
For those who do not know the Bridge Theatre, the ‘stage’ is a large circular central area various sections of which can be raised and lowered to create platforms on which the play happens. Audiences can chose to sit round the periphery or join the action continually moving around the space to accommodate the actors in their midst. For these ‘groundlings’ this creates an intimacy with the play which could never be achieved from the stalls.
Midsummer Night’s Dream familiars will know that it is already a fairy zany play but Nicholas Hytner’s production sends it gloriously over the top – mainly by reversing the roles of Oberon and Titainia so that it is not Titainia who falls in love with Bottom but Oberon. A splendidly acrobatic cast of fairies spend a lot of time swinging on ropes and swags, the costumes are wonderful, the enthusiasm gleefully infectious. A perfect entertainment for a midsummer night. It is on until August 20th.
For more information or to book go here.
Summer Jazz Garden Party
I am sure you will all be glad to hear that we have settled on Sunday 31st August for our summer jazz party – and that we have confirmed the attendance of the lovely Sol Grimshaw and his gypsy band.
The party is open to all Salon Music attendees but also to family, neighbours from Highgate and Belsize Park, friends and FreeFrom Food Awards colleagues – and their friends! So we hope that everyone will both see old friends and make new ones.
Please join us for as long or as short as you like, anytime from 1.30pm to 7pm. Sol and his group will be playing at 3pm and again at 5pm.
Bread, cheese, snacks, fruits (maybe even some from our new ‘Growing Garden’ next door) wine, beers and soft drinks will be on tap all day.
Since this is a party we want to keep the cost as low as possible but we do want to be able to pay the musicians a decent fee – so we are asking for a donation of just £10 for each ticket booked. And please do book (you do not have to specify a time) so that we have some idea of how many people are coming!!
You can book right here.
And… Have you booked for Fira on July 27th?
Highgate Society Sunday Lunchtime concert at 10a South Grove
Leora (violin) and Liz (flute) met on a summer music course in Romania in 2016 and so enjoyed making music together that, as the Fira Duo they have been doing so ever since. Their concert will include their own arrangements of both the classics and more popular tunes.
For more details and to book, go here.
Next post – a report on last weekend’s guitar and oboe concert – and the wonderful basset horns!
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