Matthew Herbert's Brexit Big Band & Choir
The British musician and producer Matthew Herbert has already released two highly-acclaimed big band albums. His third and latest project is linked to a two-year-long cross-border collaboration and is at the same time an examination of Brexit from an artistic point of view – a whacky idea that acts as a signal, and an unusual piece of music history that is now coming to the Elbphilharmonie.
The project started in England at the time of the referendum and the vote to take Great Britain out of the European Union. As part of this project, Matthew Herbert is touring Europe with a »Brexit Big Band« numbering more than 150 musicians. Herbert said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk, »With this project I wanted to get involved and not just leave the decisions and the loudest voice with the businessmen.«
His aim, he added, was to celebrate artistic and musical cooperation beyond national borders. In keeping with the two-year period set for the Brexit negotiations, the project will come to an end when Great Britain officially leaves the EU in March 2019. After that, the plan is to release an album in several languages documenting the project.
Performers
Brexit Big Band & Choir
director Matthew Herbert