Soumik Datta: Borderlands

Time zones, migrant memories and displaced rhythms collide in an original score for sarod and chamber orchestra. At times, the stage is an airport concourse. The players arrive at a customs desk where rapid-fire, spoken rhythms are answered by chromatic flute lines and thundering timpani strikes. Cinematic strings soar above sarod and tabla solos punctuated by electronic samples, political commentary and personal narratives. Soumik Datta is the Philharmonia’s Artist in Residence for the 2023/24 season. This evening celebrates the culmination of his year-long collaboration with the Philharmonia players. Multifaceted and evocative, the performance weaves through a series of syncopated, polyphonic movements to offer a compelling perspective on migration, inviting audiences to reflect on the human experience of displacement, tolerance and home. CREDITS Johannes Berauer, Jakob Helling, Markus Neuwirth arrangements Zoë Svendsen dramaturgy Simon Daw set and visual design Co-produced by Philharmonia and Soumik Datta Arts, with support from Arts Council England, Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking, Southbank Centre Studio and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at The London Community Foundation.