The Barbican recently hosted Darkness Visible, a groundbreaking collaboration between violist Lawrence Power and film director Jessie Rodger, who together form the creative studio Âme.
This concert reimagines the traditional classical performance for the 21st century, blending live music with digital projections and handheld camera work. While not flawless, the show is a bold experiment in how we experience music in a multimedia, post-internet age.
The title is drawn from Milton’s Paradise Lost, referring to infernal flames that generate “no light, but rather darkness visible.” It evokes the horror of knowing things that cannot be unknown — a fitting metaphor for our screen-saturated world. Âme asks: since we cannot unknow screens and hyperlinks, why not use them to our advantage?
A Journey Through the City After Dark
The performance takes the audience on a literal and metaphorical journey through London after dark. A scrim covers the stage, shifting between opaque and translucent, playing games with sight and blindness. Behind it sit the Collegium Orchestra and conductor Simon Crawford-Phillips, while Rodger’s images of London are projected onto the scrim — when we are allowed to see them.
Blindness is thematically interesting, but over 90 minutes it proves less so visually. The effects are mirrored in sound, creating a layered, disorienting experience that challenges the listener’s expectations.
Digital and Acoustic Blending
One of the most striking moments comes when Power leaves the stage after Anders Hillborg’s spiderweb-delicate arrangement of Bach’s chorale Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ. He wanders out into the City of London, followed by a handheld camera in the style of Ivo van Hove. We meet a digital version of Power with vocalist Maddie Ashman for a skeletal performance of John Dowland’s In Darkness Let Me Dwell in St Bart’s Great Hall.
Later, Power encounters violinist Vilde Frang in the Guildhall art gallery, before they drift back on stage in time for Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. These transitions between physical and digital spaces are gently magical, even if not every moment lands perfectly.
The Mesmerizing Closer
The highlight of the evening is the closer: Cassandra Miller’s Simone Weil-inspired viola concerto I Cannot Love Without Trembling. This extended lament plays with the in-between spaces — between notes, between soloist and ensemble, between people. Power bends time and pitch, sometimes in dialogue with cloudy, slow-phase blocks of orchestral sound, at others in a strange duet for one, his answering voice reduced to a single repeatedly plucked pitch.
It is mesmerizing, and notably, not a single digital effect is used. This moment proves that the most powerful technology is often the human performer, stripped of all augmentation.
Why This Matters for the Future of Concerts
Darkness Visible is not just a concert; it is a conversation starter about how we experience music in a multimedia age. As the Southbank Centre celebrated its 75th anniversary with a Danny Boyle spectacular that overlooked classical music in favor of grime and techno, the Barbican quietly got on with imagining a concert hall for the 21st century.
This show demonstrates that classical music can evolve without losing its soul. By embracing digital tools selectively, Âme creates a hybrid experience that respects tradition while pushing boundaries. It is a model for how orchestras and venues can remain relevant in a world dominated by screens.
FAQ
What is Darkness Visible?
Darkness Visible is a multimedia concert collaboration between violist Lawrence Power and film director Jessie Rodger, working under the creative studio Âme. It blends live classical music with digital projections, handheld camera work, and offstage performances to reimagine the concert experience for the digital age.
Who are the performers in Darkness Visible?
The performance features the Collegium Orchestra conducted by Simon Crawford-Phillips, violist Lawrence Power, violinist Vilde Frang, and vocalist Maddie Ashman. The creative direction is by Jessie Rodger and Lawrence Power as Âme.
How does Darkness Visible use digital technology?
The show uses a scrim for projections of London imagery, handheld camera work that follows Power offstage, and digital video of Power performing with vocalists in remote locations. However, the final piece uses no digital effects, emphasizing the power of live acoustic performance.
