| Main Performers | Midori Jaeger - sarod,
Meera Raja - cellos,
Rosabella Gregory - vocal,
Mithun Gill - dancer |
| Set List | Private filming of the building |
| Performance Notes | Musician, composer and television presenter Soumik Datta led a core team of digital creators including a sound recordist, camera operators and collaborating musicians. Over the course of three days, they engaged in a socially distanced artistic residency, filming their process as they co-wrote new music in response to the Royal Albert Hall's silent spaces. The filming at the Hall formed the second episode of Datta's six-part video series of reclaiming iconic cultural spaces, performance halls and empty museums that were out of action during the Covid-19 pandemic. Other institutions featured in the series included the British Museum, Depot Mayfield, Hawkwood College, Sage Gateshead, King's Cross Station, The Lexington,
Breaking the silences with new music, dance and hope, Silent Spaces celebrates the special relationship between creative artists, venues as second homes and audiences that are transported away from their daily lives through experiencing live performance together. At a time when historic cultural places of communal importance were lying dormant due to Covid-19 yearning to be filled with life again a small and diverse cast of artists came out of lockdown loneliness to rekindle and share hope through music.
On 4 May 2021, the final film was made available for its online streaming premiere on the Royal Albert Hall's website, online channels and elsewhere. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Souvid Datta, the film features Midori Jaeger and Meera Raja on cello in the empty corridors, and Rosabella Gregorys uplifting vocals and arrangement propelling the fluid dance movements of Kathak dancer, Mithun Gill leading you along a rare journey through the Halls hidden corners, backstage and up towards the stage. Soumik composes, writes and performs on sarod while singing lead vocals and rendering a powerful spoken word poem calling attention to the plight of creatives during the pandemic and our collective need for shared cultural spaces. |
| Related Archival Material | Digital Photographs |