Chocolates, Countdowns and a Concert – Looking ahead at the Easter Weekend

By Chris Billingham

It’s Easter!!! OK that doesn’t have quite the same impact as Noddy Holder screeching ‘It’s Christmaaaaaas’ but it doesn’t change the fact that tomorrow is Good Friday and the start of a 4-day Easter weekend! Excitingly for Southern Sinfonia this year’s Easter weekend starts with a performance at the Lighthouse in Poole. Tomorrow evening we join forces with Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and conductor Gavin Carr for a performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. There is something special about performing music at a time it was composed to be performed. As most are no doubt aware St. Matthew Passion is divided in two parts to be performed on Good Friday. Tomorrow’s performance will no doubt inspire the same thrills that playing Handel’s Messiah at Christmas time stirs up.  

In the wider classical music world a number of people on our social media news feeds are beginning to get excited about the unveiling of this years Classic FM Hall of Fame. This year marks the 20th year of the countdown and the question many seem to be asking is simple:

Does The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams deserve to remain number one?

At the time of writing Twitter certainly seems to think so, supportive tweets include “some think Lark Ascending is over exposed but it just has to be the most relaxing 15 minutes in Classical Music” and “There's nothing so relaxing as listening to 'The lark Ascending' while doing DIY. Thanks for the tunes RVW and #ClassicFM”.

Personally I agree that the piece is incredibly powerful to listen to. The way the music evolves creates vivid images of English summertime and countryside. I also think the Hall of Fame countdown should rightly take cultural impact into account. From its influences on Milford, Alwyn and many others to its appearance in films, sporting events, plays and of course Coronation Street, the piece has embedded itself into the minds of musicians and non musicians alike. Richard Brewer, who many of you will know from his work at Southern Sinfonia and superb blog writing, had this to say...

"It's true that the Lark Ascending is 15 minutes of pure bliss. We played it in Bath Abbey back in November with the wonderful Madeleine Easton showing us how it's done. Whilst I do enjoy the piece, I am a firm believer that there is so much more incredible music out there that never gets a mention. The Classic FM Hall of Fame is fantastic for classical music; for some, it may even be the only time they listen to the genre all year. However, my belief is that there are a huge number of other pieces that equally deserve the top spot. I definitely couldn't decide myself though..."

Between chocolate, tomorrows concert and the Classic FM Hall of Fame there are clearly a number of reasons to be excited for this weekend, what are your plans? Will you be joining us in Poole for St. Matthew Passion? Click here if you want to find out more including ticket details. Will you be listening to the Hall of Fame countdown? Do you think The Lark Ascending should be number one again? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter. You can also visit our website to find out more about Southern Sinfonia.

We hope you have a brilliant weekend whatever your plans may be. Happy Easter!

Video Games Live

By Richard Brewer 

A useless fact that you may or may not want to know about me is that I always read the Metro on my way to work in the morning. The majority of this paper is fairly useless information that will make no difference to the way I live my life. Sometimes, however, there a couple of little gems. 

On Wednesday, in the section called Scene (Music, Film, TV and Comedy), there was an article titled “Video games set to thrill harmonic”. Despite the rather cheesy title, the article actually describes a new event which fuses video gaming and a live orchestra. As a fan of both entities, this is an extremely exciting venture. A great deal of music written for video games is fantastic, and even warrants CD releases as its own entity (the LSO actually recently recorded the soundtrack to The Final Fantasy series for symphony orchestra). 

 

Video Games Live will hit the UK this week before headlining none other than the Royal Albert Hall next year. It is labelled as an “immersive concert of scores from classic games, performed by a live orchestra”. The orchestra will simply play one big medley of soundtracks from a variety of different games, satisfying all types of gamers. It won't just be a standard concert, though; Video Games Live will use a huge LED display snowing sections of the games as the medley moves through the different soundtracks. The show even boasts the opportunity for one lucky participant to play a game live on stage, whilst the orchestra will follow their movements in real time. For a gaming enthusiast, this will be an absolutely exhilarating experience; logistically, it could be slightly challenging for the orchestra and conductor. But that's not for us to worry about anyway.

In my opinion, the most important aspect of this scheme is the attraction it will hold towards the younger generation. Music education is, as ever, a huge problem; initiatives such as the BBC's “Ten Pieces” are attacking this problem, with the majority of their efforts concentrated on primary school education. An area that is perhaps slightly neglected though is 14-19 year olds. A project such as Video Games Live is arguably a perfect solution for a great number of those in this age bracket. The vast majority of teenagers use video games, spending hours playing them, and in turn listening to the music. Without them knowing, they have become fans of the music; with Video Games Live, perhaps they will see classical music in a better light than before! 

 

With the ongoing battle with music education, initiatives such as Video Games Live will no doubt make a difference. Granted, it isn't Mozart and Beethoven, but it's a start; it's within the classical music genre and could even inspire audience members to pick up the Violin. We must continue to challenge the limits of classical concerts, without challenge, who knows what could happen. 

To find out more about Southern Sinfonia please visit our website, Facebook or Twitter page.

"Creative and Playful" - Further Classical Interpretations on Modern Songs

By Chris Billingham  

You may remember at the end of January I wrote an article about the way classical instruments (or indeed any instrument) and different arrangements can be used to enhance a song, change its tone and make it appeal to completely different audiences. A number of people told us that they enjoyed the article and loved watching and listening to alternative versions of the songs chosen. This was all the encouragement I needed to select 5 more covers that reflected and stimulated discussion surrounding this theme!

‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis performed by Noel Gallagher with Crouch End Choir and Wired Strings 

No matter what genre is being played and no matter who is playing it, the Royal Albert Hall is still an incredible venue to host concerts. However despite it’s iconic look and feel adding to a number of rock concerts over the years (The Killers released a live DVD filmed at the venue that is particularly good), something about its design and atmosphere cries out for classical input. The fact that Noel Gallagher is accompanied by Crouch End Choir and Wired Strings and performing in this setting makes this version of the iconic song so effective. Whilst it isn’t necessarily a reimagining of the song and there is also still undoubtedly a place for the rawness of the original version, this version manages to feel very special, like people were always meant to hear it played in this way.

‘I Want You Bach’ – “Jackson 5’s funky “I Want You Back” mashed-up with 5 illustrious themes written by J.S. Bach” performed by The Piano Guys

Yep. Bach meets Jackson 5. The combination we were all dreaming off before the talented and imaginative Piano Guys made our wishes a reality! I contemplated saving this until the end of the article because of its sheer uniqueness and quirky nature. However, in many ways the fact that this is such an alternative interpretation makes it a nice contrast to Noel Gallagher playing Wonderwall! The Piano Guys state in the description for this video that “What if the harpsichord from the 1770s hit headlong into the talk box from 1970s? What if J.S. Bach and Jackson 5 met up and just jammed? Would they jive? Can you dig it?” which in many ways perfectly captures the joy of experimenting with music and songs that are already ingrained into peoples consciousness to create something fun and enjoyable for all audiences.

‘All About That Bass’ by Meghan Trainor performed by Postmodern Jukebox featuring Kate Davis

 
If you like your covers arguably more sophisticated than the Jackson 5/Bach mash up then the above video may be more enjoyable for you. Postmodern Jukebox is known on both YouTube and the live circuit for their clever and different interpretations of modern pop songs. The original version of ‘All About That Bass’ has an upbeat and catchy rhythm that translates perfectly into this jazz interpretation. The fact that Kate Davis is both playing the bass and singing perfectly leads you not being able to look away. As the comments on the video state, the above is creative and playful. 

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen performed by Newton Faulkner 

  

I grew up listening and watching footage of Queen thanks to my father’s love of the 1970s rock band. As well as watching concerts such as their stunning performance at Wembley Stadium I was lucky enough to see Brian May and Roger Taylor perform with Paul Rogers at Hyde Park. At all of these Queen used video and audio to present the orchestral section of this song. It wasn’t performed live, presumably because of its complexity. However in this interpretation Newton Faulkner performs the whole song. With nothing but a guitar. In front of potentially 50,000 people. In the rain. Whether you like Newton Faulkner or not this is undeniably impressive. The enjoyment and crowd reaction (especially 3.56 minutes into the video) highlights how enjoyable live music can be, whether it’s a full orchestra or one man and a guitar. Whilst the comments section on this particular video debates whether it is so effective because of Newton’s talent or Freddie Mercury and Queen’s song writing, I think it’s a combination of both. Actually I think it doesn’t matter – this is brilliant either way.

‘Supermassive Black Hole’ by Muse performed by Viktoriya Yermolyeva (vkgoeswild) 

Truth be told I could have picked any cover by vkgoeswild, her introduction video explains that when she was growing she performed Bach, Beethoven and a number of other composers. However as she grew up her attention turned to rock and heavy metal music. Her YouTube channel is now full of videos of her performing interpretations of Slipknot, Guns N Roses and Foo Fighters. All these performances showcase fantastic playing and the complex musicality behind heavy metal and rock music. I simply chose this cover of Supermassive Black Hole because it is a particularly complex piece and well… my Southern Sinfonia colleague Richard is a big fan of Muse! At the time of writing the vkgoeswild channel has received over 87,000 views, showcasing if nothing else the popularity of piano music and alternative interpretations of popular songs.

If you would like to get in touch with your favourite videos of covers on classical instruments visit our Facebook, Twitter or Website to contact us.

Don’t forget that two-time Tony Award nominee Jason Carr will be joined by Dame Felicity Lott and Melvin Whitfield for our next café concert ‘Jason Carr and Friends’ which takes place on March 27^th at 1.00pm in the Corn Exchange Newbury. Later that evening in St. Nicolas Church, Newbury at 7.30 we will present ‘Classical Celebration II’, a concert that will see us perform Elgar, de Souza and Mozart. Visit our website or links highlighted in this paragraph to purchase tickets.

The Bristol Proms – Exciting and Affordable

By Chris Billingham 

No matter how far you have to travel, incredible live performances and new musical experiences are always worth journeying too. However, it has to be said that it is a particular thrill when they are on your doorstep (even more so if they come in at an affordable price!). You can therefore imagine our excitement when Alison Balsom signalled the launch of this year's Bristol Proms with a fanfare performance at Paddington Station.

Taking place just up the road from us in Bristol, The Bristol Proms aims to invite  “world-class artists to exploit the classical repertoire in an informal, accessible atmosphere” (quote taken from the Bristol Old Vic website). Now in its third year, the festival has previously delivered some fantastic evenings and this year it looks set to do the same when it takes place at Bristol's Old Vic Theatre from July 27th - August 1st 2015.

Looking through the line up (which can be found here) there are a number of performances to get excited about. Daniel Hope headlines the opening night with an evening that looks at the rivalry between Tchaikovsky and Brahms. Milos Karadaglic, who The Sunday Times described as “probably the biggest classical-guitar phenomenon since John Williams in the 1960s and Julian Bream a decade below” combines artists in an evening entitled ‘From Bach To The Beatles’. Particularly exciting to me personally is the ‘The Night Shift Pub Crawl’ which will see the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment lead its audience on a pub crawl around Bristol (locations currently unconfirmed). As well as musical performances there will also be discussions; six talks take place with Jonathan James (subjects include ‘Beethoven Unwrapped’ and ‘A History Of Classical In 60 mins’) and John Suchet will interview John Rutter. It really is worth visiting the website and taking a look at all events.

The reason we are so excited about The Bristol Proms is their commitment to not only putting on interesting shows but shows that are affordable to everyone. Tickets are available from £5 and events such as the pub-crawl with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will hopefully entice younger people and new audiences to the event. I’m not suggesting that young people need pubs to be involved to find something appealing! But it’s undeniably that a social event and something that could be considered informal is no doubt appealing. The barriers that have been put in place from high ticket prices and particularly formal atmospheres begin to come down, making classical music accessible to all. The importance of this can never be overstated.

As well as finding out more about The Bristol Proms we would also encourage everyone to attend our upcoming concerts! Two-time Tony Award nominee Jason Carr will be joined by Dame Felicity Lott and Melvin Whitfield for our next café concert ‘Jason Carr andFriends’ which takes place on March 27^th at 1.00pm in the Corn Exchange Newbury. Later than evening in St. Nicolas Church, Newbury at 7.30 we will present ‘Classical Celebration II’, a concert that will see us perform Elgar, de Souza and Mozart.

To find out more about Southern Sinfonia please visit our website, Facebook or Twitter page.

The Concert Hall Dilemma

By Richard Brewer

I’ve been to a number of different concert halls across the country. Until moving down to London, they tended to be more northern cities, like Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester. More recently, now that I live in London, I have ventured out to a few of the capital’s concert venues.

Last week, Sir Simon Rattle criticised these venues, and laid his claim for a brand new concert hall for the capital. He labelled what is perhaps the best venue at present, The Barbican, as ‘serviceable’, stating how amazing the LSO could sound in a great concert hall. Perhaps his comments were deliberately timely, given that he is favoured to take up the LSO’s reigns after Gergiev leaves later this year. It has been said that he is very close to agreeing a contract with the London orchestra; however, if they don’t meet his request for a new venue, things may change.

None other than the Chancellor, George Osborne, supported Rattle in his request. In partnership with the mayor, he has announced an official viability study into the possibility of a new concert hall for London. Osborne states the ‘significant artistic, educational and economic benefits that a modern concert hall would bring not just London but the whole country.’ He is probably not wrong in saying this; a new state-of-the-art concert hall would benefit those who already attend concerts, but surely it has to have other uses too? Nicholas Kenyon and Kathryn McDowell, managing directors of the Barbican and LSO were quoted in referring to a ‘state of the art performance and education facility for the digital age’. Knowing that two leading figures in the development of whatever this turns out to be feel this way is extremely positive.

With the huge cutbacks and devaluation to music education in recent years, education must be kept at the heart of this new project. I can see the huge potential benefits a brilliant new concert hall would have on myself and other classical music lovers (we are now one of the few remaining European capital cities without a ground-breaking facility). I fear, however, that if the hall isn’t a multi-use facility, we could further alienate the problem of music education. It could also further enhance the problem of diversity amongst audiences. If the powers that be create a venue with a ridiculous budget, that therefore ensured ticket prices were through the roof, it would only make those with less money attend even fewer concerts. Isn’t that the opposite of what we are all trying to do?

So, what is the solution? I do agree that a new concert hall would be fantastic for London. I personally can’t really see how it would benefit the whole country, though, and do have my fears as addressed above. Having Sir Simon Rattle conduct the LSO is an exciting prospect, especially given the amount of positive change he has inflicted on the Berlin Philharmonic. It would be a huge project though, with a huge budget, the majority of which would come from the Arts Council, no doubt, an organisation already making mass cutbacks; could they afford it? All that said, wouldn’t it be great to have our own ‘Philharmonie de Londres’? A state-of-the-art facility that not only addressed London’s lack of a concert hall with brilliant acoustics, but also had education at its core.

Don't forget you can buy tickets for our March concert ‘Classical Celebration II’ by visiting our events page or the main Corn Exchange website.

To find out more about Southern Sinfonia please visit our website, Facebook or Twitter page.