Now the beating heart of the Brunel Museum and with a chamber half the size of Shakespeare’s Globe, the Grand Entrance Hall of the historic Thames Tunnel will host its first ever orchestral performance as part of the UK/Australia Season.
The amassed musicians of London chamber orchestra Ruthless Jabiru and Australia’s Decibel New Music Ensemble will come together on 02 December 2022 for an all-bass programme by contemporary composers of Australia, UK, Finland/France, Chile and the US.
Co-devised by Kelly Lovelady and Cat Hope and titled The Holy Presence of, the project and programme will explore ideas of oppression and futility borne of the inescapability of climate change: specifically, the effect of rising sea levels and proposed decommissioning on the Welsh coastal town of Fairbourne.
“The world’s first subaquatic concert was held in one of the Thames Tunnels in 1827,” said Alicja Sobczak, Events Coordinator at the Brunel Museum. “The tunnel had not been fully completed yet due to lack of funds—this is clear from the painting held here in the museum by George Jones, Banqueting in the Thames Tunnel. 50 or so guests including the Duke of Wellington enjoyed music like Rule Britannia and See the Conquering Hero Comes. Acoustics were challenging due to reverberation and echo in the tunnels but the party was a huge success!”
On its eventual completion, the Thames Tunnel became a spectacular underwater fairground with sword swallowers, fire eaters, magicians and tightrope walkers performing. One section of the tunnel was decked out as a ballroom with a steam-powered organ playing dance tunes below the Thames. The Ruthless Jabiru/Decibel collaboration promises to bring a similarly colourful vitality to the Brunel Museum’s flagship performance space. Link to full size image
“Decibel is such a multidimensional creative force,” said Kelly Lovelady, Ruthless Jabiru’s Artistic Director, conductor and producer. “This is an ensemble that really mobilises the full potential of its polymath musicians and their various composing, producing and tech innovations—all in addition to being world-class performers. This project we welcome Ruthless Jabiru’s first ever Guest Conductor, Decibel’s resident violist Aaron Wyatt. It’s an honour to feature such an outstanding First Nations colleague: Aaron’s diverse talents and portfolio really precede him.”
Noongar man Wyatt will make his international conducting debut performing Kaija Saariaho’s Neiges. In addition to his roles as Decibel violist and developer of the ensemble’s animated score notation app, Decibel ScorePlayer for iPad, Wyatt is also prolific as a composer, conductor, researcher and educator.
“I’m looking forward to performing in such an amazing space, and with such a fantastic group of musicians,” said Wyatt. “It’s a really exciting collaboration and Saariaho is such a great fit for the venue. Like so many of her works, Neiges is a really beautiful exploration of tone and timbre—all growing out of a single note that begins to shimmer the more musicians join. The acoustics of the Grand Entrance Hall will really bring this piece to life.”
The Holy Presence of invites audiences into a site-specific musical performance inspired by the dual crises of climate and governance in Fairbourne, Gwynedd. A low-lying coastal village on the edge of Snowdonia, the region is expected to be consumed by extreme weather and rising seas by 2054. As a result, funding for Fairbourne’s sea wall defences has been controversially withdrawn and its 450+ resident families forced to rehome as climate refugees in the years ahead. The community of Fairbourne continues its campaign for infrastructure in the face of climate emergency.
In solidarity with Fairbourne’s resistance, the 02 December performance will culminate in the world premiere of Never at Sea by Decibel’s Artistic Director, Cat Hope, with the composer herself as electric bass soloist.
Grand Entrance Hall, Brunel Museum, Railway Avenue, London, SE16 4LF (? Rotherhithe) 19:00, 02 December 2022
Link to buy tickets: ruthlessjabiru.com – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-holy-presence-of-tickets-443117254637