Reinventing the orchestra with charles hazlewood

Building on the success of his award-winning Sky Arts documentary Beethoven and Me, this unprecedented new series sees Charles tear down archaic ideas of what an orchestra is, busting it out of the concert hall, and demonstrating exactly what it can be in today’s world. 

In an invitation to think differently about the orchestra, the six-part series demonstrates its influence on - and significance in - a contemporary digital world relevant to everyone.

Through a diverse range of musical masterpieces - from Mozart to Kraftwerk; and Barry White to Steve Reich, to Guro Moe and Scott Walker - Charles charts the contribution of the orchestral soundscape to genres such as 70s disco, acid house, and video game music.  

Underpinned by performances from Paraorchestra playing a rich and unconventional mix of acoustic, electronic, and assistive instruments, Reinventing the Orchestra illustrates how the orchestra can truly be a reflection of modern society. 

“The orchestra stopped evolving a long time ago. Yet here it is, in our front rooms, on our phones, in the movies we watch, and the games we play. I want to show you how an orchestra can, not just encompass technology - but move beyond it. With that human organism at its heart, why wouldn’t we evolve to embrace and make music with all the sounds available to us, a richer, more dynamic orchestra, relevant and accessible to everyone” Charles Hazlewood

Reinventing the Orchestra with Charles Hazlewood will air weekly from Monday 6 June 9pm on free to watch Sky Arts and Freeview. 

I’m incredibly grateful to Sky Arts for their trust in me - which enables the television we make together - and the opportunity to share and explore some massively important music in performance with my virtuosic Paraorchestra. The Production Company - Factory 42 - have also been the perfect partners in making this unprecedented series and of course, the extraordinary producing team at Paraorchestra, But it’s the astonishing vision and beautiful storytelling of Director and good friend, Ben Whalley, that has made this the really special set of television pieces I believe it is”

Charles Hazlewood’s Beethoven and Me for Sky Arts explored the Fifth Symphony of the great composer and the trauma that informed it. It aired in February 2021 and was awarded Best Music Programme at the Broadcast Awards in 2022. Charles became Ambassador for Music for Sky Arts in January 2021.