London Philharmonic premiere designed to excite
A musical work inspired by the people of south London will be premiered tomorrow, marking the 75th anniversary of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Excite! has been written by South African exile Eugene Skeef and Richard Bissill, the orchestra's principal horn player.
Working with poet and playwright Alan Gilmour, they spoke to children and community groups in boroughs around the orchestra's home at the Royal Festival Hall - and have incorporated their impressions of the city into the hour-long work.
Skeef, who worked with civil rights leader Steve Biko in South Africa before his exile in 1980, said the music was based on the salsa beat of Brazilian music as a reminder of the hundreds of different nationalities and languages in London.
"We wanted to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the orchestra but also to celebrate the whole notion of the orchestra having its home in London," he said.
He added that the LPO was also arguably Britain's foremost orchestra in outreach and community work, which was why they had spoken to Londoners to develop it.
The finished composition will be performed by a similarly mixed bunch of people, including the London Adventist Chorale, a black Christian choir and the LPO itself.
The premiere will be conducted by Russian Vladimir Jurowski in the penultimate concert of the orchestra's anniversary season at the Royal Festival Hall.
