Journeys Through the Seasons

24 May 2025, Kings Place, London

Christopher Moore

Odyssey Ensemble is a relatively new chamber orchestra, founded and directed by the young, dynamic and passionate Josh Asokan. Their concert at Kings Place was not only sold out, but it was a remarkable occasion in many ways, eliciting a flood of differing emotions from the audience. As the programme points out, ‘Founded in 2023, Odyssey Ensemble is the UK’s first professional orchestra exclusively dedicated to amplifying real-life stories of asylum-seekers and refugees through orchestral music, inspiring empathy and respect for their human dignity.’

The first half of the concert took the form of a series of poems written by refugees and spoken by four of them, accompanied by music for strings, harp and electronic sound. The music was composed by Sarah Frances Jenkins, composer in residence. Its gently nuanced and subdued character matched the poetry perfectly, never intruding yet providing colour, mood and atmosphere. The electronic sound was produced by Noah Lawson, seated at his laptop. His sound world captured natural sounds, such as wind and waves, enhanced by more aleatoric and created elements. The combination of poetry, strings and electronics was wholly convincing. The conductor, Josh Asokan, held the performance together excellently, gently introducing the readers/poets upon their arrival on stage and allowing the performance to flow seamlessly.

The poets were Hadia Azizi, Vara Qadeir, Alexandra Gokce Gunes, Yana Kuzmachuk and Amineh Abou Kerech, and Shareef Abdullah also read two poems, one co-created by Sudanese and Afghan refugees. It was good to have the poems printed in the programme, as this enabled us to re-read them after the concert. They were also displayed on a screen behind the performers, which was welcome as it helped to bring the disparate elements of the performance together, visually as well as aurally. The poems were beautiful, moving and evocative, speaking often of the trials, pains and heartbreak which the poets had themselves encountered on their long and arduous journeys to safety here in the UK. Altogether, this was a very memorable and intensely moving performance.

The second half of the programme was a performance of The Four Seasons Recomposed by Max Richter, with more than just a nod to Vivaldi. I had heard this work a few months ago and was pleased to have another chance to hear it in this concert. The performance was excellent – vibrant, colourful, energetic, and so much more. The orchestra was brilliantly co-ordinated and directed by the soloist, the superb Elena Urioste. Her colourful dress seemed to encapsulate all four seasons and her grace, communication, sensitivity and glorious tone set her playing apart. It was altogether a thrilling and highly enjoyable performance.

Behind the performers, again on the screen, varying scenes related to the seasons of the year were projected. The films were made by Maryam Boniadi, Riddy Wasolua, Foroogh Sokouti Bodogh and Theo Brown.

I wish the Odyssey Ensemble every success for the future. I see it as making a very important contribution to the debate about asylum and refugees, which generally gets such a one-sided and negative viewpoint in the British media. The next concert is on Saturday 25th October in Smith Square Hall, with Braimah Kanneh-Mason and the Corvus Consort. Be there!