Watch: Symphony plays for men in singlets

Watch: Symphony plays for men in singlets

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norman lebrecht

August 28, 2016

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra have recorded a new work by Tamil Rogeon that sets the 2010 AFL (Australian Football League) Grand Final to music.

Watch a clip, if you like bare-armed men (and good music).

Comments

  • John Borstlap says:

    …It’s difficult to find the right words for such item which would do justice to its qualities.

  • David Osborne says:

    It will btw be performed live as part of Melbourne grand final week celebrations…

  • David Foulger says:

    Most women orchestral players perform with bare arms, so why not men. People are always asking for a change in the standard orchestral dress for men, which must be very hot and uncomfortable.

    • David Osborne says:

      Love it and agreed! However the headline was Symphony ‘plays for’ men in singlets, not ‘played by’. Thank you for brightening my day! (serious comment).

      • David Foulger says:

        I got carried away with mixing my love of music with my admiration for Australian footballers. Woops.

        • David Osborne says:

          They are indeed a match made in heaven. But Norman is shamefully wrong here. The garments in question are sleeveless guernseys, not singlets…

  • Frederick West says:

    Nothing new about the inspiration for the piece though. David Golightly’sp Symphony No.1 was inspired by his own team, Middlesbrough.

    http://www.mpaonline.org.uk/members_audio/symphony-no-1-middlesbrough-david-f-golightly

  • David Osborne says:

    Thanks and very cool sounding piece. I don’t think it’s quite the same though as this one sets a specific and incredibly dramatic match to music, and will be performed with a screening of the match. I wouldn’t want to give away how it ends, but they already did that in the title. Draws are very rare in Australian Football, not to mention in Grand Finals…

    • Frederick West says:

      Of course, they both draw on different aspects of the game. I’ve a suspicion that one of the movements of Ronnie Binge’s ‘Saturday Symphony’ alludes to the footie as well, which would predate both. Underatted but and undeniably clever composer, look up Vice Versa, a real palindrome (out of print now but I cadged a copy). Not the greatest piece of music I have to admit but very ingeniously worked out.
      I hope no one got sent off ( cue an interrupted cadence?….).

  • David Osborne says:

    Thanks Frederick… Ah no, there is in fact no order off rule in Australian Football. That sort of explains why in the old days the occasional punch was thrown. These days they behave themselves…

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