An orchestra without a conductor blends Telemann, Rebel, and Vivaldi with dance and storytelling to celebrate the energy and intimacy of live orchestral music, enveloping the audience in a symbiotic relationship.Rating
Unmissable!
The publicity material for Trailblazers hints at possible chaos: an orchestra without a conductor, led only by its principal violinist. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. The audience is transported back some 300 years to a time when orchestras commonly played without a conductor, often for practical or financial reasons. The Principal Violinist; traditionally called the ‘Leader’ (often still so today) would guide the ensemble, which is exactly what happens in this glorious, multi-disciplinary extravaganza.
As the orchestra take to the stage, it becomes clear that (uncharacteristically) most musicians stand (those with smaller instruments), while only those who need to, such as the cellists or bassists, are seated. The City of London Sinfonia, a compact chamber orchestra who often perform without a conductor, fill the space with energy and precision. Soloist Alexandra Wood is the last to appear, appropriately for her role as Leader. With a brief pause to allow everyone to settle, she lifts her bow to garner attention, and then launches into the first piece: the musicians’ eyes darting constantly between their scores and Wood’s direction. The intimacy of the small ensemble and their central staging creates a rarely seen visibility into the craft, focus, and energy of live orchestral performance. Heart-warming and deeply emotional, Wood carries the audience with her, breath by breath.
The concert opens with Fantasia in B-flat for Violin by Georg Philipp Telemann, an 18th-century German composer. Wood excels, and the orchestra respond with equal brilliance. Next comes Les Élémens by Jean-Féry Rebel (composed 1737). Rebel was among the first French composers to bring dance music out of the grand theatres and into the concert hall. His composition: a musical journey from chaos to order, begins with every instrument playing a minor scale simultaneously, representing primordial disorder. The result is an unexpectedly discordant and humorous opening that instantly commands attention from the audience.
For this piece, six dancers from Hackney Empire Creative Futures join the orchestra, performing choreography by Shay Barclay. They move fluidly among the musicians, adding character and wit to the performance, at times even playfully interrupting the players, sending sheet music flying.
With a pause between pieces, the dancers exit and the orchestra rearranges itself. This time, the three key players: the Lead Cellist, the Arch Lute, and the Lead Violinist form a triangle centre stage, from which the rest of the ensemble radiate outwards. This striking formation symbolises the balance of power at the heart of the performance to come: Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. In an engaging touch, Wood introduces each movement before playing, using members of the orchestra to demonstrate characters and effects. I am no stranger to The Four Seasons but this adds a whole new layer of comprehension, strengthening the relationship between player and audience. The performance was exhilarating and the audience responded accordingly at the end, with rapturous applause.It’s hard to do justice to a performance of such vitality, which uses a structure that feels new and unprecedented, but is actually 300 years old. The multi-faceted storytelling woven through each piece both invigorates and celebrates the enduring power of live orchestral music. The faded grandeur of the Hackney Empire, paired with lighting that focuses simply on the musicians, perfectly underscores that celebration.
Orchestra: City of London Sinfonia
Creative Director and Violinist: Alexandra Wood
Co-Director and Choreographer (Les Élémens): Shay Barclay
New Frontiers: Trailblazers jas completed its run at Hackney Empire.
