An evening at the symphony is an amazing experience, but you only ever get to see the timpani-hitting, double bass-plucking, tuba-tooting action from a fixed position — seated facing the stage. Well, the interactive design wizards at London studio Sennep have put together an incredible site for their city’s symphony orchestra, offering unprecedented close-ups on the musical maestros.
Up first in the LSO’s Play series is a rousing rendition of Ravel’s Bolero, which can be viewed in up to four hi-def camera angles on screen at once: Check out what the conductor is up to while you zoom in on the percussions and woodwinds and show the strings doing their things. You can also explore the colourful geometric map that offers an engaging primer on each of the instruments, complete with fun factoids. For instance, did you know:
- If you unwound a trombone it would stretch to about nine feet long!
- A bassoonist has to operate a whopping 10 keys with his or her left thumb!
- The frame of a harp is actually hollow!
But wait — there’s more! You can also read up on bios of select musicians, as well as watch Masterclass videos, where LSO principals explain the importance of everything from the snare drum to the clarinet in this beautiful take on Bolero.
The whole shebang was created primarily as an educational resource for schools and students, but I am neither of those things and think this is one of the coolest damn things I’ve seen online in a while. Enjoy! [It’s Nice That]
