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Challenging the orchestral norm: Charles Hazlewood's Paraorchestra

The spirit of Barry White came alive at Meltdown 2022 courtesy of Charles Hazlewood and the Paraorchestra

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Reading time 1 minute read
Originally posted Sat 19 Nov 2022

For one memorable night in our Royal Festival Hall the music of the great soul icon was brought to life by the orchestra as they transformed into The Love Unlimited Synth Orchestra.

And in delivering this unforgettable concert they were aided by a quartet of famous vocalists; Kele Okereke of Bloc Party, Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes, Eno Williams of Ibibio Sound Machine and the incomparable Betty Boo.

Alongside rehearsal and performance footage from the Meltdown gig, the infectious Hazlewood introduces to the concept of the Paraorchestra and the breadth of opportunities presented by their approach to music making.

‘If we accept that music is the most universal language that we have, the orchestra should be the largest, most universal embodiment of that universality, so why wouldn’t you play Barry White?’

Charles Hazlewood