In the words of the late, great Quincy Jones: “The only music I don’t like is bad music.” Tonight, the London Symphony Orchestra joined with composer and sax player Cassie Kinoshi in the world premiere of her suite ‘Heart’, alongside Anna Clyne’s ‘This Midnight Hour’ and Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ symphony. And it was a classical/jazz combination that worked beautifully - modern and traditional sitting side by side in one of the best venues in London.
Opening your ears to a variety of music is clearly popular, with the main hall almost completely full. An enthusiastic audience clearly made no distinction between the classical and the jazz elements of this considered programming.
Clyne’s ‘This Midnight Hour’ (2015) takes its inspiration from poetry by Baudelaire and Jimenez, with stunning string writing that uses every section of the orchestra from frenetic strings at the start to a bold, brassy ending.
The popular ‘Pastoral’ symphony No 6 is well-loved for a reason. Beethoven's writing is sublime and, of course, the playing by the London Symphony Orchestra was simply perfect.
After the interval, the stage was reset to include seed. - Cassie Kinoshi's Mercury award-winning ensemble which includes some of the most innovative of the UK's jazz scene. Performing three tunes - Tides, Ivy and Neptune - to gently introduce the audience to their sound, the group felt immensely collaborative.
Then seed. was joined on stage by the rest of the LSO, including contra bassoon, bass clarinet, harp and a raft of percussion to perform the world premiere of Kinoshi's HEART suite. There was a visual backdrop provided by visual artist Alko Roudette and the whole performance was simply extraordinary.
In her programme notes, Kinoshi says: "This pieces seeks to sonically express both the profound wonder of our natural world and the urgent necessity of confronting the climate crisis, with a particular focus on the Caribbean, a region increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and our neglect in preserving our planet."
While there was clearly a political message, the music was innovative and challenging - in a good way. The interplay between members of seed. and the LSO was wonderful to experience. Double basses in the orchestra worked alongside (albeit across the stage) Rio Kai, while the brass supported seed.'s Jack Banjo Courtney (trumpet and glugelhorn) and Joseph Oti-Akenteng (trumpet), Joe Bristow (trombone) and Anna Carter (tuba). No saxes in the LSO, but Deji Ijishakin (tenor sax) did more than support Kinoshi's own alto sax. Meanwhile, seed. drummer Patrick Gabriel-Boyle and pianist Deschanel Gordon showed versatility and virtuosity alongside their classical colleagues from the LSO. A special mention goes to Shirley Tetteh (guitar), who brought her very individual style to HEART and often sang above the strings of the orchestra.
The standing ovation that ended the performance was well-deserved and, if anything, it felt like we were left with more questions than answers and a need for more. I look forward to hearing a repeat performance in due course.
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