Gig Review+ Eric Whitacre, The Eric Whitacre Singes, Marius Beck, Laura Mvula...

So last night I went to an excellent gig at the Union Chapel in London. My mother had bought tickets and, until the day of the gig, I knew very little about the event or what to expect. I simply knew that Eric Whitacre was going to be conducting. I didn't know who or what he'd be conducting but conducting is what I expected. My mother is a huge fan of Eric Whitacre and his work after doing a workshop with him. Having sung in a choir I understood her interest and decided to tag along. The event, held in the beautiful Union Chapel, was stunning. Just up the road from Highbury and Islington station is this beautiful venue in a red brick church. In fact before the gig started I just marvelled at the scenery and architecture for a while.

Earlier in the day I received my first clue about the event when my mother said "There's going to be this singer there.... the surname starts with an M and a V... Mvu-something..."
"LAURA MVULA?" I exclaimed with excitement. I'd only needed the two letters. I was aware of Mvula's work. In fact my partner and I have played Mvula's "Sing To The Moon" album many times.

The gig boasted many guest performers and was titled "Re-Imagine" and was filled with things that Whitacre had, in some way, re-imagined.

Well Eric Whitacre and his talented troupe of singers came onto stage. Eric himself was filled with charisma and excellent stage presence. He makes a perfect host, joking with the audience and finding cool and quirky ways to introduce each piece. He starts with his own version of Lux Arumque with which I am familiar having sung it in a choir myself. It's a perfect starting piece. It's a piece that has a fragile quality that automatically makes the audience settle down. The night hosted such a wonderful blend of songs. My favourite had to be Whitacre's haunting arrangement of "Hurt" by Nina Inch Nails/Johnny Cash which created an unsettling dissonance in places and created the most agonising and beautiful performances of the song I've ever heard. I'm still not sure if if touched me on an emotional level more than Johnny Cash's version which is one of my favourite songs of all time. Another highlight was the choir taking on 'Radioactivity' by Kraftwerk whilst Joby Burgess, a talented percussionist and multi-instrumentalist, played a whole range of instruments. The coolest of these was probably the aluminium harp. I'm not the best with instruments but sign me up for that one, I want a go.

Laura Mvula was absolutely radiant as she came out to sing a few songs from her début album with the choir backing her. Later Mvula reappeared to conduct the choir in her own composition of 'Sing To The Moon' and, as Whitacre informed us, has studied musical composition at university. Mvula showed herself to be a talented and deeply passionate performer and, based on the roar of applause she received, will soon be a performer to really look out for in the contemporary music scene. She has a power to her voice that demands to be heard.

The entire night was paced so brilliantly from the range or performers to the repertoire: there was never a dull moment. Ksenija Sidorova came out to accompany the choir and perform a solo piece and managed to give a performance that was entertaining and also sensual. Never before has accordion playing been so rapturous and passionate and, well, cool. Marius Beck, a singer who flew in all the way from Norway, also provided his talents although the real highlight was his cover of 'Wrecking Ball' by Miley Cyrus. As Eric Whitacre said, Marius definitely 'saved' this song. The night ended with all the performers and the audience joining in song to sing a spiritual which left everyone involved humming their way back to the train station. It was a perfect night. Never before have I seen so many talented performers on one stage. It was a brilliant show and I'd gladly go see each and every performer again.