by Warren M. Sherk
Reporting from London, October 28, 2011
The LSO St. Luke’s Fusion Orchestra took over the Barbican Freestage on Thursday night for 30 minutes beginning at 6:45 p.m. A crowd started gathering well before that as the orchestra was setting up and rehearsing in the large open space adjacent to the Lakeside Terrace at the Barbican Centre. By the time the program was underway, the Orchestra was totally surrounded by an eager audience that fanned out behind the chairs fronting the group and extended a good ways back to the coffee bar. The Orchestra itself is made up of around three dozen enthusiastic student instrumentalists from St. Luke’s, assisted by a handful of tutors and LSO players, all under the direction of Paul Griffiths.
The LSO St. Luke's Fusion Orchestra performs Strangers on a Train, with conductor Paul Griffiths (standing, center).
The program consisted of a performance of music inspired by Dimitri Tiomkin set to a selection of silent clips from Strangers on a Train, the Alfred Hitchcock film scored by the composer. Thoughtfully chosen, the film complemented other programs this week: the entire film screened at Cinema 1 this past Sunday and music from the film would be heard on tonight’s LSO concert.
Bookended by a screen capture with an image from the film, the edited clips synopsized the story by splicing together key scenes from the film. It took two days of workshops to create this singular musical accompaniment to Strangers. With Griffiths’ guidance, the participants collaborated on building a performance from scratch that was memorized during the process, with no need for notated music. Combining recomposition and improvisation it resulted in a unique tribute to Tiomkin characterized by driving rhythms, repetition of motifs and melodic fragments, and a lengthy section of instrumental solos backed by the entire ensemble. The solos, in addition to several well-synchronized visual-musical moments, elicited spontaneous applause from the audience.
Overall the audience was thoroughly entertained and it was gratifying to watch these students perform together. Making music as a young musician is often a lonely pursuit, so it’s wonderful that they have access to this unique opportunity to interact musically with their peers and tutors.
Concert flyer
Seeing the players’ attention focused on a chair facing them upon which sat a Mac laptop serving as a monitor was amusing. The juxtaposition of a computer running a digital video file and music emanating from bowed, strummed, and plucked strings; wind-blown tubes; and drums—instruments used by early man—was striking. In spite of the technology available to today’s youth, instrumental music is still part of their lives.
The LSO St. Luke’s Fusion Orchestra, now in its seventh year, is supported by the City of London Local Area Agreement. One of the objectives of the Agreement is to build a stronger community within the City of London through a partnership with The City Together, a unique consortium with representatives from local government; numerous sectors, including education and culture; and City businesses, workers, and residents.
The LSO St. Luke's Fusion Orchestra performs Strangers on a Train, with conductor Paul Griffiths (arm raised, center).
The Fusion Orchestra setting up for the Dimitri Tiomkin concert