thumb|[[William Tell Overture|William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini, played by the Portsmouth Sinfonia (opening, 1974)]]

The Portsmouth Sinfonia was an English orchestra found by a group of students at the Portsmouth School of Art in 1970. The Sinfonia was generally open to anyone and ended up drawing players who either had no musical training or, if they were musicians, chose to play an instrument that was entirely new to them. Among the founding members was one of their teachers, English composer Gavin Bryars. The orchestra started as a one-off, tongue-in-cheek performance art ensemble but became a cultural phenomenon over the following 10 years, with concerts, record albums, a film and a hit single. They last performed publicly in 1979.

History

Bryars was interested more in experimenting with the nature of music than in forming a traditional orchestra. Instead of picking the most competent musicians he could find, he encouraged anyone to join, regardless of talent, ability, or 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 flexi disc of Rossini's William Tell Overture, which was sent out as the invitation for the art school's degree show that year.

As the years passed, the Sinfonia's musicians eventually became accustomed to and more skilled at playing their instruments, which diminished the novelty of the group. Although the group never formally disbanded, it ceased performing in 1979.

A recording of the Sinfonia playing the beginning of Also sprach Zarathustra has achieved some fame as an internet meme under the moniker "orchestra fail", further gaining popularity on YouTube via references from musician Devin Townsend. The recording was used as the walk-on music for Swedish band Peter Bjorn and John during their 2011 "Gimme Some" tour in the US.

The Sinfonia was the subject of a 2011 BBC Radio 4 documentary presented by Jolyon Jenkins in the series "In Living Memory", in which Bryars disputed the notion that members were required to be novices at their instruments and said that it was a "scurrilous rumour put about by the BBC".

Michael Nyman created a similar orchestra called Foster's Social Orchestra, which is heard on the soundtrack of the 1999 film Ravenous.

Discography

Albums

  • 1973: Plays The Popular Classics (Translantic Records TRA 275)
  • 1974: Hallelujah (Transatlantic Records TRA 285)

Compilation

  • 1993: Dead Parrot Society: The Best of British Comedy (Rhino Records R2 71049) – Compilation includes four tracks by Portsmouth Sinfonia, one, Overture/Pinball Wizard (Live!), previously unissued.

Collaboration

With Eno

  • 1974: Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) (Island ILPS 9309) – Portsmouth Sinfonia play strings on Put a Straw Under Baby.

See also

  • The Really Terrible Orchestra
  • The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle

References

  • Portsmouth Sinfonia official site
  • Portsmouth Sinfonia at Discogs