The sultry sounds of the legendary Barry White to finally flood Glastonbury’s fields with classical musicians and electronic wizardry.
| The songs of soul and funk legend Barry White will be majestically revived in truly 21st century fashion at this year’s Glastonbury Festival with a spectacular line-up of guest musicians as The Love Unlimited Synth Orchestra takes to The Park Stage on Sat 29 June 2019. The stage is set for a cast of soon-to-be-announced, very special guest vocalists to take on White’s hits in front of the Glastonbury crowd. Award-winning conductor, Charles Hazlewood, recognising White’s overlooked genius as a composer, will interpret White’s work backed by an orchestral unit incorporating musicians from The British Paraorchestra, the world’s only large-scale ensemble for professional, disabled musicians, his Army of Generals ensemble and a bank of synth players. One of the most successful singer-songwriters of all time, yet never appearing at Glastonbury before his untimely death in 2003, White enjoyed a four-decade career and worldwide album sales in excess of 100 million copies. Hits including Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe and You’re The First, My Last, My Everything and his ocean-deep voice secured him an international reputation as a magnetic balladeer, yet his songwriting, production and arranging skills were never better demonstrated than in the formation of his own, 40-piece Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1978. Penned by White and released as a sweeping instrumental, the Love Unlimited Orchestra reached number one in the US and number 10 in the UK charts without their charismatic front man with the iconic, 1973 disco-precursor, Love’s Theme. |
| Hazlewood says: “Everybody knows Barry White’s stratospheric hits from the 70s and 80s and that special voice, but give his wonderful songs a closer listen and not only can you can hear layers of lush, orchestral instrumentation, but every melody is a knock out. When we’re discussing the truly great, 20th century songwriters, he is right up there. The formation of The Love Unlimited Synth Orchestra is every bit a tribute in name and we won’t miss a note, but it also has to be a performance of renewal over nostalgia. With some incredible guest vocalists, a pioneering mix of technologies and genuinely diverse gathering of gifted musicians, it will be a bracing ride through White’s finest moments.” Hazlewood, members of The British Paraorchestra and Army of Generals performed Philip Glass’ ‘Heroes Symphony’ in a televised performance at Glastonbury 2016, billed as the festival’s tribute to the late David Bowie. They returned a year later with PLAY, a symphonic reimagining of the most memorable and iconic computer game themes from the last four decades. |
The British Paraorchestra, Army of Generals and Special Guests
Conducted by Charles Hazlewood
Sat 29 June 2019
The Park Stage, Glastonbury Festival
