Portsmouth Sinfonia
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The Portsmouth Sinfonia was a real orchestra founded by a group of students at Portsmouth School of Art in Portsmouth, England, in 1970—however, the Sinfonia had an unusual entrance requirement. Players had to be either non-musicians, or if a musician, play an instrument that was entirely new to them. Among the founding members was one of their teachers, English composer Gavin Bryars. The orchestra started as a one-off, tongue-in-cheek performance art ensemble but became a cultural phenomenon over the following ten years, with concerts, record albums, a film and a hit single. The impact of the Portsmouth Sinfonia was considerable, and though the ensemble has not performed publicly in the UK since 1979, the name and reputation has endured.
[edit] History
Bryars was interested more in experimenting with the nature of music than forming a traditional orchestra. Instead of picking the most competent musicians he could find, he encouraged anyone to join, regardless of talent, ability and experience. The only rules were that everyone had to come for rehearsals and that people should try their best to get it right and not intentionally try to play badly. The first recording made by the Sinfonia was a floppy 45rpm disc of Rossini's William Tell Overture, which was sent out as the invitation for the degree show that year.
The early repertoire of the Sinfonia was drawn from standard classical repertoire ("The Blue Danube" waltz, "Also Sprach Zarathustra", etc), so that most orchestra members had a rough idea of what the piece, or at least famous parts of it, should sound like; even if they could not play their chosen instrument accurately, they would at least have an idea that they should be going higher at one part then lower at another, and so on. The end result was the musical ensemble producing not only the correct note but several notes nearby, 'clouds of sound' that gave an average impression of the piece.
Many modern composers and musicians found this to be interesting and even profound; the comedic aspects of the music were merely a bonus, though it was used extensively for marketing purposes. Brian Eno was interested enough to join the orchestra, playing clarinet, and subsequently producing their first two albums.
The orchestra was invited by the composer Michael Parsons to play the Purcell Room at London's Royal Festival Hall. Their album, Portsmouth Sinfonia Plays the Popular Classics was released in 1974. On May 28, 1974, as their fame increased, they played a concert at the Royal Albert Hall with conductor John Farley, which sold thousands of tickets. The orchestra's take on the late 1970s / early 1980s vogue for pop classical medleys, "Classical Muddly"—produced by their manager Martin Lewis and released by Springtime!/Island Records in 1981—is particularly characteristic of their unique sound; it was specifically inspired by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's "Hooked on Classics". The single was a Top 40 hit in the UK Singles Chart.
Although the group never formally disbanded, it ceased performing in 1979.
[edit] Discography
- “Hallelujah!” - The Portsmouth Sinfonia at the Royal Albert Hall (1974)
- Portsmouth Sinfonia Plays the Popular Classics (1974)
- 20 Classic Rock Classics (1980)
- Classical Muddly / Hallelujah Chorus (7", Springtime Records 1981)
- Dead Parrot Society (compilation, 1993)
