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MUSIC - 2001: A Space Odyssey
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra

DIANA CARROLL - Reviewer
INDAILY - 12.3.13

THIS special movie-music production was one of the big-ticket items – artistically and financially – of this year's Adelaide Festival. The idea sounds superb: one of the greatest movies ever made; almost 100 of our top musicians on stage; and a choral accompaniment from the Adelaide Chamber Singers. But what did audience members actually get for their $139 (premium) ticket?

Unfortunately, something strangely unsatisfying.

The movie is, as we all know, a spectacle. Ideally it should be seen on a big screen, like the old Cineramas or an Imax. This is why it was shot in 70mm. We may have become accustomed to seeing a smaller-screen iteration, but it loses some of its impact. To make matters worse, the sightlines in the Festival Theatre mean parts of the screen are obscured because the audience has to look through the orchestra. With so many musicians on stage, that's a bit tricky.

Interestingly, this production comes from the Southbank Centre in London. The Royal Festival Hall wouldn't have this problem because it's a proper philharmonia auditorium where the players are positioned lower than the audience. This allows a much better view of the orchestra and gives uninterrupted sightlines to the screen suspended above them.

The crowded staging also meant the Chamber Singers were largely unseen. From my (very good) seat, I knew they were there only because I could see the tallest head peeping out from behind the percussion. The singing was lovely, hitting a suitably soulful and haunting tone, but completely disembodied.

The ASO was also in good form, playing with a real empathy for the mood of the music. But much of Kubrick's masterpiece relies on a lack of sound for its tension. So here we have the orchestra in its highlight performance actually doing very little playing. American maestro Robert Ziegler has impressive experience in innovative music fusions and conducted the massed stage with a splendid understatement. Curiously, the (free) program paid no credit to the musical works being performed.

There were two performances only of 2001 but there is still Solaris to look forward to this Friday at the Town Hall.

ENDS.