Terry Riley’s In C

In a collaboration between Paraorchestra and integrated circus company Extraordinary Bodies, Terry Riley’s minimalist masterpiece In C is reimagined in this unique union of two very different disciplines, experimenting with movement, sound, and the senses. The combined effect of Paraorchestra and Extraordinary Bodies playing In C is cathartic, uplifting and engulfing. The aural equivalent to climbing inside a giant lava lamp.

Terry Riley is one of the greatest living composers of classical music. In 1964 he composed the now iconic In C, consisting of 53 short repeated melodies in C major: How often each melody is repeated, how coloured or intensified, is completely the choice of each individual player. But each player also has responsibility to the whole, ensuring they are never more than three melodies behind or ahead of any other member of the ensemble. It is all about listening, proposing, reacting.

With semi-improvised movement, aerial flying and physical theatre, Extraordinary Bodies performers take cues from the impulsive and slow-morphing arrangement of Riley’s cornerstone minimalist composition, resulting in a hypnotic showcase of physical and mental dexterity and unrivalled levels of skill and intuition.

A Colston Hall and Bristol Plays Music commission, produced by Paraorchestra and Extraordinary Bodies. 

First performed at Fast Forward, Fri 3 June 2016, Colston Hall Bristol.