Music / Bristol Drug Project
Review: Creative Communities summer showcase – ‘A cathartic musical journey of healing and affirmation’
“Do you know what my favourite musical sound in the world is? It’s the sound of an orchestra tuning up. The purposeful chaos that begins after the oboe plays an A… It’s the promise of things to come,” wrote the late, great André Previn in his book Orchestra.
The same could be said of the moment when the singers and orchestra tuned up ahead of the summer showcase presented by Bristol Drugs Project (BDP), the promise of things to come, both in real time and metaphorically.
The blend of spoken word, song and the soaring crescendos of the orchestra told powerful stories of resistance, survival and redemption. And the audience gathered in Bristol Beacon’s Lantern Hall were the lucky ones.
is needed now More than ever
The much-anticipated Summer Showcase was the culmination of months of preparation
After marking their ten-year anniversary last autumn with a gala concert at Circomedia in St Paul’s, Creative Communities showcased five of their regular groups, including Rising Voices Recovery Choir, Bristol Recovery Orchestra, Changing Tunes Beginners Group, Lyrically Lifted and Trinity Music Group, who joined forces to present a cornucopia of delights ranging from reggae and rock, African a capella and hauntingly beautiful music from the Levant.
Each segment was introduced by a testimony from a participant in one of BDP’s projects. Their stories were unique, poignant and non-linear.
They themselves marvelled at the healing power of music, though it might sound like a cliché to some ears. Yet the testimonies painted deeply personal journeys at various stages of recovery and reaffirmation.
Meet Adam, a member of the Rising Voices Choir. Just a year ago, he was receiving treatment at a centre following struggles with alcohol and drug misuse. After five months of perseverance, Adam began to accept himself, with recovery marked by incremental change – “one day at a time”.
Joining the Rising Voices Choir helped him discover his métier and a renewed sense of purpose through music.
And meet Andy, who hails from Wales and dedicated his performance to his late mother. Not only did he find his métier through the Rising Voices Choir after a journey of recovery, but perhaps also his violon d’Ingres – as he revealed a natural flair for stand-up comedy.
He had the audience in stitches with his dry wit, joking, “As a Welshman, I used to sing a lot of Tom Jones… but It’s Not Unusual!”
The Rising Voices Choir, led by Sophie Wilsdon, rose to the challenge with ease, delivering complex harmonic parts
The evening’s programme kicked off with a lively rendition of Dynamite by Taio Cruz, which neatly segued into Throw Catch. The Rising Voices Choir, led by Sophie Wilsdon, rose to the challenge with ease, delivering complex harmonic parts, including well-executed descant passages, with precision and finesse.
Other choral delights included Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Lighter Than Hydrogen, featuring alternating melodies that showcased the choir members’ vocal dexterity and a predilection for complex harmonies.
The penultimate piece before the break welcomed the Recovery Orchestra, led by Raph Clarkson, who first thanked Jon James, present in the audience, for his role in shaping the orchestra over the years before bidding farewell after the anniversary gala.
The orchestra received a boost from guest musicians from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, including Harriet Riley, Judith Scarfe, Sophia Benton and Özcan Ates. The piece saw Sophie Wilsdon switch from her role as kapellmeister and return to her primary musical role as clarinettist in the orchestral pit.
What followed was one of the showstoppers of the evening. The orchestra played the traditional Syrian melody Bint El Shalabiya, loosely translated as “Girl from Shalabiya”. The orchestral layering and musical dialogues between woodwind, strings and brass were a delight.
The Recovery Orchestra under the baton of Raph Clarkson created moments of magic
Huge credit should go to Özcan Ates on the bağlama, a long-necked lute traditionally used in Anatolian music, for creating the thematic ambience of the Middle East with virtuosic playing – the strings plucked like heartbeats of longing.
The pensive, extended phrases of clarinet and alto sax intertwined with brooding strings to evoke a rich, nostalgic soundscape.
Trinity Music Group delivered an evocative rendition of the popular anthem Stand By Me by Ben E. King, prompting the audience to join in singing the chorus and clapping to the distinct beat—without missing a beat.
The evening also featured poetry recitations, including a humorous take on the Lord’s Prayer that referenced major bus stops, bus numbers and railway stations, all under the theme of Flight, which playfully pleaded to “deliver us” in the end much to the mirth of the audience.
The second half featured a stirring rendition of Killing in the Name (Rage Against the Machine) by the Recovery Orchestra, which was given a shimmering veneer with a guitar solo that shredded, bled and wept, prompting spontaneous applause mid-performance.
The evening was bookended with a reggae medley arranged by Raph Clarkson, featuring both the Rising Voices Choir and the Recovery Orchestra. The musical exchange between choir and orchestra was warmly received, drawing heartfelt applause from a thoroughly entertained audience.
The blend of spoken word, song and the soaring crescendos of the orchestra told powerful stories of resistance, survival and redemption
The much-anticipated Summer Showcase was the culmination of months of preparation, supported by contributions from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Bristol Beacon, Trinity, Bristol Old Vic and Changing Tunes.
Sophie Wilsdon has been the creative mortar of the creative community of BDP over the years, whose concept of using music as a tool for healing was inspired by a similar project she encountered in Brighton.
To find out more about BDP, visit www.bdp.org.uk
All photos: Ania Shrimpton
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