Ever thought classical music just needed more peril? Tale of the Firebird, a violin concerto performed by The Freestyle Orchestra, makes dazzlingly improbable companions of aerial and floor acrobatics, fire performance, and string instruments (which are, lest it be forgotten, made of wood). Take note, artists: this is what ‘interdisciplinary practice’ looks like.
From the moment the performers appear on stage, bodies sculpturally arranged on the floor like woodland creatures sprouting from the ground, the traditional picture of a string ensemble – regimented seating plan, shoes – is thrust aside. On a stage that begins to even feel too small for the grandness of Firebird’s ambition, a violinist becomes a fire-breather; a double bass an acrobatic base. A violinist is thrown across the stage and caught, the sense of danger amplified by the risk to not just her body but her presumably hand-crafted, hella expensive instrument; an aerialist plucks a harp while in a mid-air splits.
While the centrepiece fire-twirling plays into an age-old instinct of ooh fire pretty, it’s less integrated with the music; Firebird is best when there’s total overlap between the instruments and the acrobatics. Watching with bated breath, one is filled with wonderment not just at the difficulty of the stunts, but also at what the job interviews for this gig must have looked like.
The way momentum builds across the show can at times feel oddly disjointed, especially with numbers that are “just” an aerial performance accompanied by live music – a case of The Freestyle Orchestra merely setting themselves a very high bar to clear. The sound mixing – maybe unintentionally – also takes away from the natural resonance of the instruments, and the audible seam between what’s live and what’s perhaps pre-recorded distracts from the wow factor. Despite this, and even in the performance’s wobblier moments, there’s a soaring bravery and commitment to spectacle here that must be commended.
Tale of the Firebird – Concerto for Violin, Fire & Acrobatic Orchestra, until 30 Aug (not 17, 24), 6.15pm