Improving on silence

Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012

As composers we're basically suggesting we're capable of creating things that improve upon silence ("Apprentice Silence-improver" is my twitter self-description). That said, silence is not something you expect to find in a room full of 2500 school kids on a sweltering hot day. So I count it as a success -perhaps a triumph- if a piece of music can keep such a room sitting in attentive quietude for fifteen solid minutes, which we managed not once, but twice yesterday! This was the world premiere of Prince Zal and the Simorgh given by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under David Angus at Royal Festival Hall.

Huge thanks to all involved, including the enthusiatic young violinists from Jessop and Ashmole schools in London (part of London Music Masters Bridge Project), the Daf players from City University, the great talents of Fariborz Kiani and Arash Moradi, the wonderful Sally Pomme Clayton as author, collaborator and narrator, and David Agnus and the LPO. Quite a cast list!

Here with Sally Pomme Clayton, who both wrote the words for the story (based on the Ferdowsi poem) and narrated them with great aplomb!

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