Royal Festival Hall, London
Chineke! Orchestra had the deserved honour of welcoming audiences back to the venue, with work inspired by BLM protests and a swashbuckling finale
It had been 439 days, we were told, since the Royal Festival Hall last opened its doors to a public audience. Whatever the disappointments of such a long period of closure, the mood as the players of Chineke! Orchestra took to the stage was celebratory. That this ensemble was chosen to be first back shows how far it has come in its six-year existence. There were cheers as Chineke!’s founder Chi-chi Nwanoku was presented with Making Music’s Sir Charles Groves prize, and more of them at the mention of that organisation’s campaign for amateur choirs to be allowed to rehearse together again.
There is indeed always campaigning to be done in the music world – but at least Chineke!’s work as an amplifier for composers of colour is bearing fruit. This concert began with two works written last year. The first, a UK premiere, was Fate Now Conquers by Carlos Simon, a breezy, motoring overture with the harmonies of the second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No 7 as its jumping-off point. Desmond Neysmith made something lovely of the cello solo at its centre.
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