The Portsmouth Sinfonia was the brainchild of Gavin Bryars, in an effort to bring classical music to the masses. The orchestra was open to anyone...literally. You didn't even need to play an instrument as long you were vaguely familiar with that instrument. And so the Sinfonia consisted of brilliant musicians, classically trained musicians, rock musicians, musicians who tried their hands at an instrument they hadn't played before and people who just wanted to saw at violins and blow into oboes for kicks.
Then, Brian Eno got involved.
The debut record is a cacophonus riot.
I found a copy of their "single" at this past weekend's record show and just had to have it. The album is a bit much, to say the least. But listening to both sides of what Columbia Records deemed the most "accessible" made me howl as hard as I did the very first time I heard this record in 1974.
5 comments:
LOL! That whirring sound you can just pick up in the background is Giaochino Rossini spinning in his grave. :D Unlike your average middle school band performance of the same piece, however, you can actually tell what it is. Spike Jones would have been amused, I suspect.
I wore that album out back in the day. Loved it!
WOXR in Oxford OH used to play the record on the air in the early 70's. They did not, however, play The Shaggs.
Hilarious then, hilarious now. Thanks, Sal.
So funny, so much fun. Merci.
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