The Orchestral Forest Reviews: “Audience involvement in this concert was like nothing I’d ever experienced”
The Orchestral Forest is an immersive concert that tells the story of Britain’s rare and vulnerable rainforests.
Featuring exhilarating pieces of nature-inspired music by Dobrinka Tabakova, Felix Mendelssohn, Vagn Holmboe, Nadia Boulanger and Michael Nyman, alongside soundscapes recorded in UK forests, the creative team was led by Matt Belcher (Creative Director) and featured Imogen Knight (movement director), Maxime Tortelier (conductor), Emma Purslow (soloist/leader) and Sinfonia Smith Square.
A selection of reviews from the first performance in London include:
Stage to Page (4.5 stars)
“Audience involvement in this concert was like nothing I’d ever experienced. Initially mesmerized, we soon began to wander, enchanted by the unfolding music that seemed to guide our movement in the room. This engagement was bold and refreshing, a testament to how The ConcertLab challenges norms and transforms the concert experience. Even with audience members strolling around, the atmosphere remained reverent; a testament to the boundary-pushing yet respectful ambiance that defined the evening. . .
This evening was a stunning and deeply memorable experience; one that will stay with me for some time.”
The Reviews Hub (4.5 stars)
“Being allowed to move between the musicians, who are scattered on daises throughout the hall, is a powerful experience. Stand between the cellos and bases to feel low notes vibrate in your diaphragm, stop in the swelling strings for a goosebump moment, or walk under the percussion stage where drums reverberate.
Sinfonia Smith Square explore timely fears and possibilities for our shared future. They create a memorable hour of flawless playing, innovative staging and redemptive emotional power.”
Broadway World (4 stars)
“Why can’t more classical music concerts be immersive?
. . . There’s an unparalleled view which is impossible to imagine from even the best seats and the memorable sensation of being surrounded by supreme talents at work. There’s a fun sense of agency too here as the audience gravitates with the music depending on where the emphasis currently is; when Özsuca Rattle stars in Boulanger’s piano solo, it is not just eyes that are engaged but legs too as people wander towards the stage for a close-up view . . .
. . . as Belcher amply demonstrates here, there is an opportunity to bring the classics into the 21st century by standing on the shoulders of theatre and exploring new forms of expression”