On Friday 10 March 2023, the Ulster Orchestra and their audience embraced an extraordinary combination and celebration of music from South and West Africa, alongside our own orchestral tradition; in an evening of ‘Boundary Breaking Fireworks’.
The concert opened with Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s
Blush, commissioned by Chineke! Orchestra: a work for chamber orchestra that explores the excitement and ups and downs of young love. The composer states that [she] “wanted to create a soundworld that would lead us into the inner world of a young woman in the Caribbean at the turn of the 20
th Century about to go to her first dance and where her first crush will also be in attendance. Will or won’t they meet? Does he notice her? Does she care? How does she resolve the complexities of her feelings?”. Many of the rhythms are inspired by Mento music, as early Jamaican folk music that pre-dates Ska and Reggae.
Seckou Keita showcased the enchanting music of the Kora, Africa’s magical 22-stringed harp in his work,
African Rhapsodies. Created in collaboration with Italian composer and arranger Davide Mantovani, it explores extraordinary voyages to and from Senegal. Keita stunned the audience with not just his ease of virtuosity, but the sublime atmospheric musical journey of pure emotion.
Abel Selaocoe then introduced us to his unique composition and performance style that is taking the classical concert hall by storm.
Qhawe (Hero) is ‘dedicated to the desert – finding relief through rain- and Selaocoe’s nephew, whom he calls “the tonic to the family”. He continues: “When we are going through a hard time, we often ask for rain, in a call and response, asking and responding. We ask for relief from the struggle and for a saviour from all our woes. My nephew brought life to the family through his birth, his joy and his strength”. Selaocoe, through his infectious rhythms and powerful vocals, had the whole Ulster Hall engaging from toe-tapping to dancing to call and response singing.
The concert was closed with the World Premiere of Selaocoe & Keita’s
Double Concerto for Cello and Kora, Co-commissioned by Ulster Orchestra, Orchestre Nationale de Bretagne and Southbank Centre.
It is a piece clearly stemmed from friendship, full of African rhythm and improvisation. The two composers create a synthesis of styles as they bring classical music together with African music to forge a new contextual soundworld that was undeniably human as the stage and boundaries were dissolved.
