Second performance of Birdman
One of the most popular events of Sydney Festival 2016 will head to Riverside Theatres for a special intimate performance on Friday 15 January at 8pm. Joining the already announced Parramatta music line-up will be a unique performance of Birdman (or, The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) at the Lennox Theatre at Riverside Theatres.
In an Australian premiere season, the four-time Grammy award-winning drummer and composer Antonio Sanchez performs his fervent score alongside the Oscar-winning movie. Birdman (or, The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) follows the progress of a washed-up actor, played by Michael Keaton, trying to re-establish his career and his sanity. The solo drum soundtrack by this luminary in modern jazz is an essential part of its set-to-stun impact.
This is a rare opportunity to see Antonio Sanchez in his element, and witness the frenetic, buzzing energy of Birdman. Sanchez’s largely improvised performance offers the audience a truly individual experience of the film. “If you come to one of these performances, you’re going to see a completely different thing every single time,” the drummer told Time Out New York.
Antonio Sanchez’s inaugural film composition was nominated for a Golden Globe, an Oscar and BAFTA award. Whilst being acknowledged as one of the most innovative and original scores of its time, Sanchez was controversially ruled out of the Academy Award nomination since the film also contained excerpts of classical music. Sanchez recently won two of the top awards at the World Soundtrack Discovery Awards in Belgium. He was awarded Best Film Score and also Best New Discovery Artist of the year.
The Lennox at Riverside Theatre will play host to a specially curated music program with performances ranging from American West Coast funk to Icelandic electro-pop and Australian roots music melded with Indian rhythms. With tickets from only $35 the music program is beautifully crafted full of fantastic Festival experiences. Iceland may have a reputation for its majestic soundscapes and twee pop, but FM Belfast and Hermigervill are here to set the record straight – and the dancefloor ablaze – in Reykavik Calling. From the USA, Pasadena’s maverick funk hero, DāM-FunK (LIVE) will treat audiences to some seriously golden, breezy West Coast vibes whilst Matthew E. White matches his velvet croon to rock’n’roll, gospel and soul stylings to swooning effect.
In an exquisite fusion of Indian folk and Australian roots, famed Australian guitarist Jeff Lang and tabla player Bobby Singh join forces with two leaders in traditional Rajasthani music with Maru Tarang and Cambodian Space Project deliver their high-energy sci-fi psych rock’n’roll take on a Phnom Penh karaoke bar in Cosmic Cambodia.
Where: Lennox Theatre at Riverside Theatres
When: 15 January, 2016 at 8.00pm
Duration: 120 minutes no interval
Price: $49