A powerful performance by the City of London Sinfonia of new music composed in response to the discovery of Exoplanets, overshadowed by lengthy and unnecessary breaks for discussion. Rating
Good
It’s music Jim, but not as we know it.
The City of London Sinfonia (CLS) are masters of their craft and I have had the joy and privilege to see them perform live more than once. Their ability to bring out the unique personality within each instrument always creates impressive and compelling storytelling. Their performance of The Exoplanets is no exception, expect it is overshadowed by frustrating interruptions and unnecessary visual art.
The Exoplanets is a project of two years in the making and is compered by Robin Ince (broadcaster, comedian and founder of the Cosmic Shambles Network). He is joined on stage by Professor Jen Gupta, Professor of Astronomy at the university of Portsmouth.
Seven composers were tasked with creating pieces that demonstrated the expanse of Space into the concert hall: each named after an Exoplanet. After the first piece, Ince and Gupta come to the stage to explain what an exoplanet is (a planet outside of our Solar System). First discovered in 1992, scientists continue to discover more each day as our scientific capacity for research expands. It is interesting, and the concept of what we, as humans, can and cannot comprehend in terms of size, is a thought-provoking debate. As is the juxtaposition of Art and Science: are they in competition or are they disciplines that neatly complement each other? Except this interlude goes on too long and contains an odd (and lengthy) poem by Ince that quickly loses its relevance (and humour). The pair return to stage twice between musical pieces with an inverse relationship to the length of time they spent explaining the science and my ability to absorb it.
Added to this is a backdrop of odd visuals which are reminiscent of early screen savers with rolling colours and merging shapes. I believe it is meant to invoke feelings of space, or the Exoplanets, or maybe the atmosphere around an exoplanet? It’s only in writing this that I realise I am not quite sure of the reasons but it detraces from the musicians themselves. Which is an opportunity lost: the orchestra is full – strings, woodwind, bass and an impressive percussion section. Unfortunately, the audience’s vision is mostly directed to the screen which just makes the actual performers invisible.
It also overran by a long way: billed as 70 minutes in duration, it is only the music that took 70 minutes, the unnecessary dialogue another half an hour.
The compositions themselves, whilst beautiful, all seem to use a lot of fractured metallic screeching creating by playing past the bridge on the strings. And I wonder why all seven composers came to that seemingly easy conclusion, when we are told each exoplanet is very different according to the distance from its star?
In theory this is a project to be admired: new music created in response to an almost ethereal concept and a collaboration between two, often opposing, disciplines. Sadly, the music itself and the brilliance of the musicians got lost somewhere. I was sat behind two youngish boys who were incredibly fidgety and annoying and yet when the orchestra opened at the beginning, with full force and power, even they were awe struck and silenced. Trust the music and the craft of the performers: we really don’t need anything else.
Orchestra: City of London Sinfonia
Composed by Theo Whitworth, Aníbal Vidal, Robin Haigh, Blasio Kavuma, Samantha Fernando, Zhenyan Li, Pauchi Sasaki
Conductor: Micah Gleason
Video Design by Louis Price
Lighting Design by Colin Grenfall
Sound Design by Jack Jordan
The Exoplanets has completed its current run.
