Riot Symphony: The Sun Still Shines – the obligation of protest through the medium of symphony (Belfast Ensemble with Ulster Orchestra)

The penultimate concert in the Ulster Orchestra’s 2023/24 season was given over to a new work composed by Conor Mitchell and produced by the Belfast Ensemble. Sandwiched between Star Wars-themed May the Fourth Be With You concert and the season finale of Mahler’s Second Symphony (Friday 24 May in the Waterfront Hall with Belfast Philharmonic Choir), the orchestra were collaborating for a third time with the composer and musical theatre maker.

The most recent exiting-Covid collaboration with the Ulster Orchestra – MASS, part of the 2021 Outburst Queer Arts Festival – seated the players in the middle of the old Belfast Telegraph print room while the audience could stand or move around the edge to observe the music being performed and the wraparound visual projections. A little like the vibe of Belfast Ensemble’s earlier Doppler Effect, but on a giant scale.

For the audience, the Riot Symphony is much more sedentary, performed as a concert in the Ulster Hall. The 45-minute piece begins with a delicate and playful exposition of the motif. Before long, the pedal division of the organ is thundering under the woodwind section of the orchestra.

Gavin Peden’s video design is projected onto a gauze that stretches across most of the width of the stage, dropping from the lighting bar in the ceiling down to the floor. What begins as cars tootling past in recognisable Belfast locations switches are overhead surveillance as the music becomes more frenzied. Soon carousel of portraits of Putin’s face are filling the screen and nearly whipping attention away from the intricate musical score.

The libretto is taken from leaflets published by the White Rose Movement which called for active opposition to Nazi activities. Three of the writers were beheaded: Sophie Scholl was just 21 years old and her last words – “The sun still shines” – are picked up by the concert’s subtitle. Sung by soprano Rebecca Murphy and tenor Michael Bell, the English translation is conveniently projected along with the original German text.

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Nothing is more shameful to a civilised nation than to allow itself to be ‘governed’ by an irresponsible clique of sovereigns who have given themselves over to dark urges.

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Each man wishes to be acquitted of his complicity – everyone does so, then lies back down to sleep with a calm, clear conscience. But he may not acquit himself. Everyone is guilty, guilty, guilty!

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Seeing the need to protest but sitting tight was neither an option for the White Rose authors nor Mitchell. As is the habit of Belfast Ensemble, no single medium takes absolute priority. So while the concert wouldn’t exist without the score, the orchestra and the Northern Irish singing talent, the video work has its own contribution to the storytelling. Imagery of a youngster with a bucket and spade building a sandcastle somehow infantilises powerful political and military leaders exercising their power. But even before the tide comes in to naturally reset the beach landscape, a toy sword appears to divide the kingdom before a small foot stomps on the remaining edifice. Weapons of mass destruction and the totalitarian jackboots of a wean … are we all capable of dividing and conquering?

The central motif repeats, forwards, backwards, and even set against itself. The notion of Sophie Scholl’s protest is joined by the notion of protest at home in Belfast. The orchestra continue playing under A Pussy Riot song – Putin Lights Up the Fires – which was released as a single at the point the bands members’ trial drew to a close following their protest outside Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

While at times the video messaging was repetitive and unsubtle, it was used to good effect to illuminate the libretto and could have had a stronger impact signposting the different strands that were drawn together in the finale that musically seemed to catch the audience by surprise given its abruptness.

Punk and hiphop may be the populist forms of musical protest. But both in the programme notes and the pre-show discussion, Mitchell emphasises that classical music has a history of political protest. Riot Symphony demonstrates that this holds true today. A repeat performance might reinforce the musical structure and help spot the Ukrainian national anthem which was signposted as being woven into the final moments of the symphony.

Photo credit: Ronan McKernan

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