Arch Sinfonia at Cecil Sharp House

Arch Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra born from a desire to break down the invisible wall between artist and audience. Last week, the players, led by their conductor Chloé van Soeterstède, blew the cobwebs off the high-ceilinged hall at Cecil Sharp House with their interactive take on the classical concert. For each piece, five members of the audience could sit amongst the orchestra. 

Watching young children scramble up on stage to sit amongst the players and alongside older guests, painted a powerful picture of the importance of music for us all. “It is a very different way of hearing the music”, Chloé explains, “the balance isn’t correct, but it is thrilling to face the conductor and be so close to the musicians. They are invited to feel what we feel on stage.”

The repertoire was a miniature odyssey in French music inspired by Chloé’s Parisian roots. We heard lesser-known works by Bizet and Chabrier, as well as Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante defunte and Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No.1. Acclaimed cellist Nadège Rochat joined the stage for the concerto, gracing us with an emotive and enchanting performance. 

There was a playfulness to the orchestra in both sound and spirit; the instruments spoke to each other, guided by Chloé’s fluid movements. At times she appeared to be sewing the air, a tapestry of music streaming out of her gestures. The silence at the end of the Ravel was particularly captivating, the orchestra breathing as one organ.