I just came across this and was quite spellbound by it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=782GpSv9pTM...eature=youtu.be

I'd be interested to hear comments if you have time to watch it!

What a lovely idea

An excellent idea - it certainly adds something to the performance. (Puts a completely different complexion on 'music and movement')

also spellbound. everyone should watch this.

The part I saw before my computer froze was fabulous. What a wonderful idea.

I was very impressed by this - particularly the solo flute, clarinet and oboe.

I wish my orchestra sounded like that all the time (and we sit down!!)

It's beautiful, enchanting, life-changingly lovely. Music and movement (Dance perhaps has too narrow a meaning) go together like a stream and a valley.

Incidentally, looking at a nearby thread on whether appearance/image is important to music, it's nice to see that a group of people of all sorts of looks, shapes and sizes, dressed in all sorts of clothing, can work together so very beautifully, coordinate together so closely, and make something so wonderful.

Very beautifully done. It makes a nice change to see "classical" music with a different image. Actually I saw it just after as an end of term activity I had asked a group of three nine/ten year old pianists to draw Debussy's "Feu d'Articfice" while they listened to it and to try to move thier crayons with the music. We put up the resulting "oeuvre d'art" on the screen behind the piano at our concert.

Thinking about it after a pause, I realise it also made me notice the instruments far more than normal. When I look at a normal orchestra, my overall visual impression is lots of bow-ties (and music-stands). My overall impression from this performance was the different instruments, each a different shape and nature, each practically welded to a player.

Also my visual impression of a conventional orchestra is completely unrelated to the sound they make. In this performance, the two go hand-in-hand.

I was very impressed with the standard of playing, for a start, and then to be moving while doing it just added to that. The players had a lot of poise, and obviously played from memory too, which is great. Great intonation!

Did it add anything to the music itself? Probably yes for the performers, as they would have had to listen super hard to keep together, and were probably made even more aware of how the melody weaves in and out of the sections, and how to balance everything. I suppose it was a bit like a huge operatic ensemble.

For the audience, it makes you think about the narrative of the music, certainly, but also makes you think about lots of other things, like what the players look like, which instruments are playing at which point, how the instruments interact, how big a double bass is! And so on. Some of this could be a bit distracting, but then I guess that's the point - to make the listeners sit up and take note.

Very interesting stuff. and I always thought classical musicians made hopeless dancers ;-)

Strange you should say that, because I'm afraid I'm going against everyone's opinion here. As a classically trained dancer, I found it clumsy, amateurish, and extremely painful and embarrassing to watch. Sorry folks

I did wonder how a professional dancer might take to it.

Maybe it's just me being intolerant. I can't watch Am Dram productions either, or get beyond the first minutes of "Strictly". I'd probably be less judgemental if I was still teaching, and was used to seeing students at all levels of ability. I wonder if a professional musician would have the same reaction to my playing

Perhaps one shouldn't classify this as "Dance", perhaps it's better viewed as music with movement. Compare for example with the Sirena recorder quartet. No one could do full-out dance, be it ballet or jive, while playing a recorder. Movement can add a whole new dimension, without aspiring to dance. Incidentally, I shall remain thoroughly amateur so I can continue to enjoy any old rubbish... but I'm glad someone is maintaining standards!

Beautiful....