West coast audiences will have what's likely to be one of the most unique classical concert experiences of their lives on Dec. 4 at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre.
That’s when the Redshift Music Society, a non-profit devoted to bringing the music of modern composers to unusual spaces, will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Titanic with Victoria’s Aventa Ensemble performing Gavin Bryars’s The Sinking of the Titanic— and yes, the concert can be enjoyed either on dry land or from the water.
“For the people in the bleachers, it will be a concert like they’ve never seen,” says Redshift’s artistic director, Jordan Nobles. “But the people in the water will experience it wildly differently.”
Nobles calls the centre a “cavernous, acoustic cathedral – with a pool,” and envisions the musicians spread throughout the room and up onto the dive towers.
Consciously or not, the setup will in some way pay tribute to what is arguably one of the most haunting mental images of the sinking of the Titanic: the musicians picking up their instruments, moving out onto the deck and playing music as the ship went down, claiming the lives of more than 1,500 of its passengers.
“What would you do in that moment if you knew you were going to die?” Nobles asks. “Would you continue to do the thing that you loved all your life? It’s beautiful.”
But the solemnity of that iconic bit of Titanic mythology can’t help but be challenged by the obvious: isn’t it a tad morbid to enjoy Bryars's piece from the water?
“There’s a definite disconnect between the sinking of the Titanic and the fact that you’re sitting there with a pool noodle and relaxing,” Nobles laughs. “I have been worried about somebody asking me that question for a while, so thanks a lot!”
But, Nobles says, the potential is there for a transformational moment. Tickets are good for seating or swimming, and people are free to move in or out of the pool as necessary, but the immersive nature of being in the deep end will likely magnify the innate heartbreak and beauty of Bryar's composition, and keep listeners transfixed while treading water.
“Floating in the water and hearing the piece and thinking about the ship sinking — it might be way more powerful.”
The concert will be held Dec. 4 at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. You can buy tickets here.
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