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Charlotte Symphony’s MERGE A New, Energizing Classical Party

Lawrence Toppman, WDAV -- 

I'm told certain parts of Mecklenburg County saw the Aurora Borealis last weekend, due to freak solar flares. But you might have found an equally compelling light show indoors at Blackbox Theater, this one accompanied by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO).

Or perhaps the light show accompanied the CSO. These elements were so carefully integrated that "MERGE: Symphonic x Electronic" blurred the lines between senses. The people who danced meditatively, perhaps in a trance, in the pit between the screen and the string players had the right idea.

The CSO website billed the concert this way: "Immerse yourself in a multisensory experience at the nexus of symphonic and electronic music at Blackbox Theater. Push/Pull Sound, Tenorless and the Charlotte Symphony take you on an exploration of the edges of musical possibility with live visual artistry. Pieces by Philip Glass and Steve Reich merge with ambient downtempo soundscapes to cutting-edge electronic music freed of physical limitations."

That translated to resident conductor Christopher James Lees keeping a gentle rein on the reduced CSO, visual designer Tenorless crafting ever-shifting images projected on multiple screens, and Push/Pull laying down beats that sometimes complemented what the symphony played and sometimes changed the mood between pieces. When the classical musicians went home about 10:30, after 80 minutes of music they're not likely to perform elsewhere, Push/Pull dropped heavier, faster and louder beats for the crowd that stayed behind.

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