Imagine this: laidback young music-lovers enjoying the same gigs as older, more conservative concert-goers. Impossible? Not if Salmonella Dub and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra have anything to say about it.

Salmonella Dub, the popular dub-dance band, will present Feel The Seasons Change with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in three main centres in January and February 2008.

"We are trying to demonstrate that [our musical styles] are not polar opposites," says Rachel Hyde, artistic planning manager for the NZSO. She is working on the unique collaboration. "The concept is that these forms would meet in the middle."

Cooperation across the divide

Salmonella Dub, which has been at the forefront of the roots-dance scene for one-and-a-half decades, recently released its sixth studio album, Heal Me. Their tour with the NZSO will use the new album's material to take audiences on an audiovisual journey through our landscapes and history.

Hyde notes, "This is a piece of cutting edge art, and people should take the opportunity to witness two cultural icons in a meeting of minds and a sharing of the passions and joys of their art form."

The match was made six years ago when a representative of the orchestra approached Salmonella Dub backstage after a gig. The band's frontman Andrew Penman, who harked back to his involvement with school orchestras as a teenager, was intrigued by the chance to fuse his band's downbeat feel with the lushness of the orchestra. The challenge was to make the NZSO sound like more than a backing band; to unify the music without producing a cluttered sound.

"At the time we were approached, no one was doing much with orchestras," says Penman. "I don't believe any other bands have collaborated with the NZSO in a similar way. For this tour we are going out of our way to maximise the dynamics of all the artists involved. This isn't about throwing an orchestra on stage with a band, but more about our repertoire being reinterpreted."

A trend has begun

This is not the first New Zealand collaboration of its kind. In recent years, many of our noted homegrown bands have crossed the musical and generational divide by joining forces with our leading orchestras. This experimentation appears to be paying dividends. Goldenhorse's concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra was commended, while Shapeshifter's one-off shows with the Auckland Philharmonic and Vector Wellington orchestras last year were highly praised.

The benefits to involved parties appear to be mutual. Orchestras are now faced with the challenge of regenerating their aging audiences. Collaborations with young bands allow classical outfits to relate to younger audiences. Additionally, bands like Salmonella Dub can reach a section of the music-loving public that is older than the demographic they usually appeal to.

Many elements combine

For their own collaboration with the NZSO, Salmonella Dub has been working on the musical score with Christchurch composer Tom Rainey for over six months. Penman says the simplicity of his band's music has made it easy translate into this wider setting. The event will also feature Maori singer-songwriter Whirimako Black, Maori instrumentation expert Richard Nunns, and Pitch Black electronica artist Paddy Free.

The event's original concept involved the New Zealand Ballet, to combine the musical and visual effects with dance, but the concept evolved. Nonetheless, the production elements, not the musical arrangements, present the most formidable challenge. Salmonella Dub and the NZSO are aware that the project is technically ambitious, but are confident of its feasibility. From aerial footage of southern landscapes to historical reels, the event's imagery will complement its music.

"I am not sure what the audience demographic will be [for this tour]," says Andrew Penman, "but it is a great exercise in involving the old world of classical music with the contemporary world of music. As a nation, we are beginning to grow our own voice, musically and artistically."

Feel the Seasons Change will tour Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch from 31 January to 8 February.

Article by Wellington-based freelance journalist Jehan Casinader.