Brighton: Symphony of a City

An evening of two distinct halves kicked off with a curious fusion of film and live classical music, with the Orchestra of Sound and Light accompanying a piece about Brighton directed by Lizzie Thyme. Thyme’s film was of a montage-in-a-documentary style that didn’t really lend itself to the dynamics of a symphony since it was of a similar pace and tone throughout. Ed Hughes’ music didn’t seem to correlate closely with the film, and while it was an enjoyably sweeping piece in its own right it did raise questions about the thematic conjunction of two seemingly disparate entities. The second half however saw Neil Brand accompany one Harold Lloyd short silent film as well as a similar Laurel & Hardy classic. Brand’s lively, accomplished piano playing served as a fine score for the movies and went down riotously well with the crowd when aligned with the genius silent comedy, resulting in a fun, if slightly uneven evening all round.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 11 May 2016

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