City of London Sinfonia: The Exoplants at Hackney Empire Review

Written by Cathie for Theatre and Tonic.

Disclaimer: Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review. All views are my own

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Are we human because we stare at the stars, or do we stare at the stars because we are human? Our fascination with them has endured since our earliest civilisations, and modern culture is filled with stories and scientific research into the universe’s mysteries. The City of London Sinfonia has worked with seven composers and multiple scientists to create a bold new orchestral suite titled The Exoplanets.

Exoplanets were only discovered 30 years ago. They are planets which exist outside of our solar system. Some of them have been discovered in different solar systems, some orbit around dying stars and some float around the galaxy without any attachment to a star at all. Over 6000 exoplanets have been discovered thus far. The orchestral suite created for the performance is based on 7 of these exoplanets. Each orchestral piece is based upon a different exoplanet and was created by composers who used the collected data, including atmosphere, density, temperature and orbit and changing them into sound, texture and form in a veritable feast for the mind.

The orchestral suite comprises seven pieces created by seven composers. These phenomenal composers include Samantha Fernando (TRAPPIST-1e), Robin Haigh (55 Cancri e), Blasio Kavuma (Kepler-22b), Zhenyan Li (OGLE-2016-BLG-1928), Pauchi Sasaki (Pharos 38 b), Anibal Vidal
(HD 209458 b) and Theo Whitworth (51 Pegasi b). Each composer had a unique style and created sweeping cinematic pieces that created frisson throughout. Each piece was named after the specific exoplanet and used unique textures and layered sound to create a musical feast for the senses, and each was accompanied by different videos of the data used to create the pieces.



Along with the seven pieces performed, the evening was hosted by comedian, writer and broadcaster Robin Ince, and astrophysicist Dr Jen Gupta. As well as educating the audience on identifying exoplanets and how scientists find them, much of the show also gloried in this merging of multiple disciplines. It is wonderful to see the arts and science working together to create beautiful and inspiring pieces that forge new ground. This was further explored by composers Blasio Kavuma and Zhenyan Li, coming on stage to discuss their works and the inspiration process.

The concert’s pacing was well designed, with an equal mix between the different instrumental pieces and the scientific discussions. This was an intriguing and captivating evening experience at the theatre. The Exoplanets is a fascinating and unique experience that wholeheartedly reminds you of the wonder of being alive and being able to experience all of the curiosity and joy of being on Earth.

If you like beautiful music, learning new subjects and a mentally invigorating evening out, then this is the show for you.

★ ★ ★ ★