Portsmouth Sinfonia 20 Classic Rock Classics LP 1979

	A$		20
	$		13

Portsmouth Sinfonia 20 Classic Rock Classics LP 1979

Australian pressing on Philips.

The self-proclaimed "world's worst orchestra" was founded by Gavin Bryars in 1970 when he was lecturing at the Portsmouth School of Art.

Bryars wanted to engage the masses with classical music, and sought a way to liberate the form from the pomposity of its audience. His idea was to form an orchestra of the people. Anyone could join, regardless of skill.

The orchestra comprised of known musicians playing instruments they had no knowledge of, virtuoso players and people who had never played an instrument in their lives. Their oeuvré would encompass the popular classics and rock songs - music that could be played by ear. No sight-reading skills were therefore required. The virtuoso players kept everything vaguely within the realms of what might be called a tune, with the other players reaching for (and missing) notes nearby. The result was a fascinating atonal mess of a noise, one which was considered profound by several of Bryars classical contemporaries.

The hilarious results of this experiment led to the Portsmouth Sinfonia's records being pitched at the comedy market which earned them a cult following, enough for them to be selling out the Royal Albert Hall by 1974.

Although it ceased performing in 1982, the Portsmouth Sinfonia never formally disbanded. At the time of writing (March 2006) there are whispers that more concerts might just be forthcoming…

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Bryars was interested more in experimenting with the nature of music than forming a traditional orchestra. Instead of picking the most competent musicians he could find, he encouraged anyone to join, regardless of talent, ability and experience. The only rules were that everyone had to come for rehearsals and that people should try their best to get it right and not intentionally try to play badly. The first recording made by the Sinfonia was a floppy 45rpm disc of Rossini's William Tell Overture, which was sent out as the invitation for the degree show that year.

The early repertoire of the Sinfonia was drawn from standard classical repertoire (such as "The Blue Danube" waltz and "Also sprach Zarathustra"), so that most orchestra members had a rough idea of what the piece, or at least famous parts of it, should sound like; even if they could not play their chosen instrument accurately, they would at least have an idea that they should be going higher at one part then lower at another, and so on. The end result was the musical ensemble producing not only the correct note but several notes nearby, 'clouds of sound' that gave an average impression of the piece.

Many modern composers and musicians found this to be interesting and even profound; the comedic aspects of the music were merely a bonus, though it was used extensively for marketing purposes. Brian Eno was interested enough to join the orchestra, playing clarinet, and subsequently producing their first two albums.

The orchestra was invited by the composer Michael Parsons to play the Purcell Room at London's Royal Festival Hall. Their album, Portsmouth Sinfonia Plays the Popular Classics was released in 1974. On May 28, 1974, as their fame increased, they played a concert at the Royal Albert Hall with conductor John Farley, which sold thousands of tickets. The orchestra's take on the late 1970s / early 1980s vogue for pop classical medleys, "Classical Muddly" — produced by their manager Martin Lewis and released by Springtime!/Island Records in 1981 — is particularly characteristic of their unique sound; it was specifically inspired by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's "Hooked on Classics". The single was a Top 40 hit in the UK Singles Chart.

Although the group never formally disbanded, it ceased performing in 1979.

A1   Pinball Wizard

A2   Apache

A3   Leader Of The Pack

A4   A Whiter Shade Of Pale

A5   You Really Got Me

A6   Uptown Top Ranking

A7   Glad All Over

A8   Heartbreak Hotel

A9   Telstar

A10   Bridge Over Troubled Water

B1   Nut Rocker

B2   Don´t Cry For Me Argentina

B3   (We´re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock

B4   You Should Be Dancing

B5   It´s Only Make Believe

B6   Nights In White Satin

B7   My Boy Lollipop

B8   God Only Knows

B9   (I Can´t Get No) Satisfaction

B10   A Day In The Life

CONDITION:

SLEEVE:   VG++, minor ring wear only.

RECORD:  VG+   Occasional minor pops etc, some crackle.

RECORD GRADINGS

(May be further qualified by + or - )

M = Mint

Must be in perfect condition with no audible or visible defects whatsoever. The record and cover/sleeve should be exactly as brand new.

NM = Near Mint

Almost mint but has one or two minor visible marks on the cover/sleeve or surface with sound quality remaining perfect.

EX = Excellent

Not quite perfect. There may a slight chance of minor deterioration in sound quality. The cover/sleeve may show slight wear.

VG = Very Good

The surface and cover/sleeve shows visible signs of wear due to the fact that it has been played on a regular basis. There will be some audible surface noise but it will not effect the listening experience.

G = Good

The sound quality has deteriorated due to having been played often. The cover/sleeve and surface will show considerable signs of wear and tear with some possible damage.

F = Fair

Has been neglected, but is still playable. There will be major audible defects such as loud clicks or jumping. The cover/sleeve maybe badly damaged.

P = Poor

Technically playable, but with serious deterioration in condition and sound quality. The cover/sleeve will be badly damaged.

VP = Very Poor

In terrible condition and absolutely unplayable. Would only be of use as a last resort to complete a collection.

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