As Europe’s majority black and ethnically diverse orchestra marks its 10th year anniversary, its success confirms the vision of Chineke! Orchestra’s founder, Chi-chi Nwanoku, to demonstrate the rich contributions minority musicians and composers have made to classical music.
Critical acclaim affirms the magical collaboration that bring this special group back to its homing ground in Queen Elizabeth Hall where it first launched in 2015 to make classical music more inclusive. The stunning production signals that the “spirit of creation” – the meaning behind Chineke – will continue to burn strongly for years to come.
Conductor Matthew Kofi Waldren is dapper in unlocking a joyous body of work commissioned for this delectable talent. Over two hours, evocative music is infused with styles drawing upon hymn like chordal motif, old Hollywood glamour reminiscent of Gene Kelly’s jazzy blues, and improvisations on traditional Indian and African musical instruments. The performances hark to the past, present, and challenge the audience to reflect on what the future will look like.
Jubilate, which opened the concert, was an energizing score centred on the present drawing upon trumpet, woodwind, and brass in a breathtaking luscious harmonisation.
Inspired by the Bristol Bus Boycott in 1963 where activist Paul Stephenson protested against racist practices by the bus company to not hire black and Asian front line employees, composer James B Wilson’s Free-man is simultaneously poignant and restless. The tremolo in the strings echo the wrestle between the powerful and powerless to establish justice. Songwriter Julian Joseph’s Carry That Sound was my favourite performance as it interweaved jazz and blues that tip tapped to sensual Hollywood charm in its golden era.
Song of the Prophets: A Requiem for the Climate is pulsing and ethereal. Blending different styles, this explores the imagery within the book of Genesis in the Bible to bring the world into being and the effect that human activity is having on damaging the environment. As the news cycle rolls with more distressing stories about the impact of climate change and the see-saw direction of government policy to effect a firm turnaround, the message is clear in the traditional African drumming and recital. Something positive needs to happen fast.
