Matthew Barley/Cellist

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.

Victor Hugo

Southbank Sinfonia Talent!

Last night I was performing at St John’s Waterloo as a guest of the Southbank Sinfonia – the country’s leading orchestral academy, also described as Britain’s Young Professional Orchestra. And they are spectacular! It is one of the cliches of working with young musicians that they have talent, enthusiasm, and a desire to learn as well as to make music etc etc, and it has become a cliche simply because it is so true. It is a joy – all too rare – to make music in these conditions. You ask them to go home and practise, and the next day it sounds better (presumably they practised…), you ask for a phrasing, and it happens; you suggest they move their bodies more to create a different sound, and they do. There is no cynicism, and they also happen to be extremely talented and able, so it’s possible to make music to a very high standard. We did some improvising, played an arrangement of mine of Piazzolla for cello and strings; the Haydn C major concerto (they have a fine stylistic sense), and then I conducted them through Tchaikovsky’s Serenade. Well, I say conducted, although that may be a rather creative use of the verb: I have only conducted once before, in Hong Kong last year, so I am pretty new to it, and it is a measure of their willingness to make music that they could interpret my windmill-like beat and actually sound quite coherent! For me it was a privilege to be with them, and I wish them all luck in their musical futures – a heart-warming experience, to the musical core.

1 Comment

  • sabine staples says:

    My husband and I were walking along the Thames and were handed a flyer about that concert taking place 30mn later at St John’s.We went…What a treat!Best decision we made that day!To see Matthew Barley playing with those wonderful young artists was unforgettable!

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