Heart of Noise

Now this isn’t so much of a review this week - more of a record of one of my gigs I’ve been to. It was in a small chapel in west London, with mince pies and vino a-plenty and a really beautiful gig. However, I don’t really think it’s fair to review, as I know about half the people in the ensemble! Amazing as they all were (and well worth a listen), I’m clearly biased.

That said, I’d def check out some of the pieces they played, including some of Luciano Berio’s contemporary arrangements of various folk songs from around the world - originally entitled Folk Songs. Black is the Colour is one of my favourites.

They also played/sang Gavin Bryars’The Adnan Songbook which is a really lovely song cycle – with almost rock/pop harmonies and aesthetic, but for a small chamber ensemble (viola, piccolo, cello, and others). 

Bryars is most famous for Jesus’ Blood (never failed me yet), where he loops a refrain, sung by an unknown homeless man in London over strings and brass that gradually build and grow over the course of the song. It’s a surprisingly moving and emotional song, and if you needed more convincing of its greatness, Tom Waits did a version in the 1990s, where he sung along with the main vocal line.