Brian Eno has launched plans for his first ever solo tour.
The revered producer, sound auteur, and songwriter doesn’t have many ‘firsts’ left to complete – remarkably, however, Brian Eno has never competed a solo tour. Until now, that is.
Solo concert series Ships is a newly commissioned work from La Biennale di Venezia, and it will debut on October 21st in Teatro la Fenice as the centre piece of the 2023 Venice Biennale Musica. Expect an orchestral adaptation of Eno’s 2016 album ‘The Ship’, alongside reworked interpretations of new and classic Eno compositions.
Brian Eno will perform in collaboration with Baltic Sea Philharmonic, orchestrated and conducted by Kristjan Järvi. Curiously, actor Peter Serafinowicz makes a cameo appearance, alongside long-time collaborators Leo Abrahams and programmer / keyboardist, Peter Chilvers.
The dates are dotted around Europe, with two performances planned – 6.30pm and 9pm – for the Royal Festival Hall in London on October 30th. For full ticket information visit the venue’s website.
Brian Eno comments…
The album ’THE SHIP’ is an unusual piece in that it uses voice but doesn’t particularly rely on the song form. It’s an atmosphere with occasional characters drifting through it, characters lost in the vague space made by the music. There’s a sense of wartime in the background, and a sense of inevitability. There is also a sense of scale which suits an orchestra, and a sense of many people working together.
I wanted an orchestra which played music the way I would like to play music: from the heart rather than just from the score. I wanted the players to be young and fresh and enthusiastic. When I first saw the Baltic Sea Philharmonic I found all that…and then noticed they were named after a sea. That sealed it!
Kristjan Järvi adds:
Brian is a great artist who has been an immense personal inspiration for a good part of my life. Now to be presented with an opportunity where we work on the presentation of a piece that reflects and shapes the world that we live in, is very meaningful and truly an honour.
The freedom of expression is the key element in this presentation. Every person in this performance is just as important as the next. Everyone matters equally as much as the other and is not replaceable or expendable. To have an orchestra that is really a band rather than an orchestra which executes a performance but “is the performance” itself is what Brian and I see as the uniqueness of this collaboration.
Photo Credit: Cecily Eno
