An American Girl in London Pens the Local Music Scene
Posted by Bertie Magit
Yellow Lounge
Last week
Yellow Lounge
opened its doors for the first time at its newest venue across the pond
(London, England). Yellow Lounge is a club whose goal is to make
classical music current and extremely accessible, where the DJs spin
Bach, not Rihanna. The club has locations all over the world including
New York, Berlin, and now London.
all photos by Howie Tam
Yellow Lounge
The opening of Yellow Lounge in London was held in the Bankside
Vaults, with performances by Eric Whitacre and his choir as well as
headliners Hilary Han and Haushcka. The ambience was set with low
lighting, giant floor pillows, and a ballerina dancing behind a wooden
gate. Canisius, the DJ, played solely classical tunes while
Pfadfinderei, a VJ from Berlin, played digital videos on each of the
large screens set about the room.
Eric Whitacre and the Whitacre Singers
The first group to go on was composer/conductor Eric Whitacre and the
Whitacre Singers, his traveling choir. Staying true to the Yellow
Lounge promise, the classical choir had a very contemporary presence.
First of all, I have never seen a choir perform in a non-religious
setting. But the aspect that stood out most was the video he had created
– a compilation of more than a thousand home-recorded versions of his
piece “Water Night” sent in by ordinary people all over the world to
create Eric Whitacre’s very own monstrous virtual choir.
The real treat of the night was the collaboration of Hilary Hahn and
Hauschka. Hilary Hahn is a violinist from the United States and Hauschka
is a pianist from Germany who specializes in prepared piano. The duo
met a few years ago and after many jam sessions they decided to make an
improvised album inspired by a trip they took to Iceland. At the Yellow
Lounge, Hahn and Hauschka played a fully improvised set, allowing the
audience to experience an entirely unique performance. After every song,
Hauschka would drop something new into his piano, like wooden sticks or
a metal chain, in order to change the sound and then he and Hahn would
begin again.