by Author Ruth Currie

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World Orchestra Project culmination

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has been taking part in the groundbreaking World Orchestra Project for the past year. RPO Contrabassoonist Fraser Gordon reports on last Friday’s culmination concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Having arrived for the 9.15am rehearsal (an unusually early time for me to be up) all was quiet at the Royal Albert Hall. The tumbleweed wouldn’t last long however. With some of the young players already in position, I meandered onstage with my bassoon to find the hall totally transformed: the orchestra was going to be SO large, it extended into the Arena. The woodwind were to sit at the very front of the stage where the strings normally go, extending all the way across the front of it (a couple of harps nestled in next to the piccolo section – yes there was more than one – harp and piccolo, that is) and back to the first riser.

Once everybody was in place, RPO players included, oh, and the steel band, not forgetting the Saz group (a Turkish plucked instrument) and of course the rock band, the focus of this massive group turned to conductor Nick Collon to rehearse for the concert in a couple of hours.

My little bassoon group was by far outnumbered by the clarinets and flutes and sat cosily behind the oboes on stage but we were determined to make our mark on the piece, which had been written by the young performers themselves with the help of composer James Redwood. Nick thankfully had a microphone to communicate with the entire group otherwise I’ve no idea how it would have worked! There was just enough time to play a couple of the trickier sections again (although having said that, the whole piece was tricky – some RPO players had turned up early to have another quick look) but the young players seemed wholly unphased by it all. The size of the orchestra and the distances between players was no barrier to them – they just slotted their parts into the groove and along it all went, sounding totally great and gelling together like a string quartet in somebody’s front room. Incredible.