An orchestra in London has commissioned new classical music to be performed in pubs.
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment asked young composers to write string quartets designed to distract drinkers from their pints, for a project called Pub Crawl Classical. The first, by Kate Whitley, was premiered at the Bedford in Balham last night alongside chamber music by Haydn.
There is a performance tonight at the George Tavern in Commercial Road, Whitechapel, and tomorrow at the Old Queen’s Head, in Essex Road, Islington.
Whitley said. “In writing classical music for pubs, you can’t get away with so much. Unlike in a concert hall where there is blanket silence and blanket clapping, here you get immediate feedback. If people don’t like it, they won’t pay attention.”
The commissions are part of the orchestra’s Night Shift pub gigs, and build on the notion that chamber music was originally written to be played for friends in people’s homes. Maggie Faultless, the orchestra’s leader, said: “It sometimes feels as if we’ve lost sight of the fact that music should be a very sociable experience.”
Doors open at 7.30pm at both venues, with the music starting at 8.30pm.
The event returns to Camden and venues outside London in October. For admission prices visit oae.co.uk
