Experimental classical club night exploring the influence of computers and AI on music, featuring 30-piece orchestra, live experimental electronics and Nonclassical DJs.

Rise of the Machines #2 showcases the world premiere of the first ever Concerto for Drum Machine & Orchestra, a work in five parts which places the drum machine centre stage as solo musical instrument, bringing the sounds of dance music and hip-hop to the classical world.

Line Up:

Conductor: Jessica Cottis. Hailed in the UK music press as “one to watch”, Jessica Cottis possesses intellectual rigour, innate musicality and an easy authority; she is a charismatic figure on the podium who brings dynamism, intensity and clarity of vision to all her performances.
Langham Research Centre, founded in 2003 by BBC Radio 3 producers, work with vintage equipment to perform 20th century classic electronic repertoire.

Nonclassical DJs, including Laurence Osborn.
Programme:

Concerto for Drum Machine & Orchestra (2017) – *world premiere*
One movement composed by each of: Beni Giles, Laurence Osborn, Josephine Stephenson, Jo Thomas, Max de Wardener.

Nick Ryan & John Matthias: Cortical Songs (2008)
A work for string ensemble and solo violin in which the orchestra is partially controlled by the neural patterns of a tiny computer brain. The resultant work takes the orchestra into an ethereal sound world of lush strings juxtaposed with the skittering crackles of neural activity.

Barry Guy: Mr Babbage is Coming to Dinner! (2015)
This piece was inspired by Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine No2 and was commissioned by the NMC. The graphic score hand-drawn and partially coloured by Barry Guy is a work of art in itself. It calls on spontaneity and improvisation from the orchestra.

Magnus Lindberg: Engine (1996)
The title of this piece is inspired by the computing language associated with using the Patchwork1 programme. “Engine” is a sort of generator of musical material, which operates according to the rules pre-established by the composer. The texture is composed by the machine, on which the composer imposes dozens of constraints2.