The orchestra Manchester Camerata performed Life on Our Planet in Concert at the Bridgewater Hall as part of the UK Life on Our Planet in concert tour on Tuesday October 8.
The family-friendly show combines the musical score of the Netflix series, created by Grammy award winning composer Lorne Balfe, with highlights from the show played on the big screen.
The docuseries follows the journey of life from its first single-celled form four billion years ago to man’s domination today.
Balfe’s score mirrors the story of evolution, telling the tale thematically with motifs reflecting different creatures and events throughout history.
Although the Netflix series is narrated by Morgan Freeman, the concert begins with David Tennant’s voice sounding throughout the hall.
Tennant guides the audience through the pivotal moments of the series, from the rousing, atmospheric beginning of life, to the dramatic falls of dynasties, and all the intense and light-hearted moments in between.
Without the same amount of narration as the series, the score can be fully appreciated – becoming the audience’s history teacher as well as their emotional guide.
Forefronted, the score is a masterclass of the power of music – effectively portraying the story of life and all of its nuances to the audience – without any narrative explanation necessary.
Manchester Camerata’s performance is almost indistinguishable from the soundtrack of the series; they play the score perfectly in time and in tune with the clips playing behind them.
The evocative, atmospheric vocals and the haunting Celtic trumpet, the carnyx, stole the show for me – with the carnyx player receiving rapturous applause at the end of the show.
However, condensing four billion years of history into two hours of highlights comes with its difficulties.
The show risks being repetitive in its structure when showing the rise and fall of life; species evolve, they go extinct, another species evolves, it goes extinct, etc.
But this does not take away from the impressive performance and showcase of talent by the orchestra, which balances the repetitive parts of its structure with humour and light-hearted moments.
The show ends on a reflective and hopeful note, as the series’ stand out number ‘The Power of the Planet’ plays whilst Tennant talks about how we are driving ourselves towards the next mass extinction.
Tennant tells us: “How we act now will determine the next chapter in the story of life.
“Our intelligence has brought us this far and it’s the only thing that can save us.”
An important ending to a beautiful and educational show.
Manchester Camerata performing Life on Our Planet in concert at Bridgewater Hall
