Boundary Breaking Fireworks at the Ulster Hall

On Friday 10 March 2023, the Ulster Orchestra and their audience embraced an extraordinary combination and celebration of music from South and West Africa, alongside our own orchestral tradition; in an evening of ‘Boundary Breaking Fireworks’.
The concert opened with Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s Blush, commissioned by Chineke! Orchestra: a work for chamber orchestra that explores the excitement and ups and downs of young love. The composer states that [she] “wanted to create a soundworld that would lead us into the inner world of a young woman in the Caribbean at the turn of the 20^th Century about to go to her first dance and where her first crush will also be in attendance. Will or won’t they meet? Does he notice her? Does she care? How does she resolve the complexities of her feelings?”. Many of the rhythms are inspired by Mento music, as early Jamaican folk music that pre-dates Ska and Reggae.

Seckou Keita showcased the enchanting music of the Kora, Africa’s magical 22-stringed harp in his work, African Rhapsodies. Created in collaboration with Italian composer and arranger Davide Mantovani, it explores extraordinary voyages to and from Senegal. Keita stunned the audience with not just his ease of virtuosity, but the sublime atmospheric musical journey of pure emotion.