Now that it's in the can, we can drop the secrecy and make the big announcement: the big studio session we did last night was with the legendary Pete Townshend, recording the backing vocals for an orchestral version of Quadrophenia to be released in the new year! The album features Pete Townshend with a very famous orchestra and soloist. And the London Oriana Choir of course!
We recorded at Air Studios in London, the studios made famous by George Martin of Beatles fame. (We were very impressed to see the original score to George's string arrangement for "Yesterday", written in 1965, in a frame on the wall!)
It was all very exciting, with Rachel Fuller's orchestration (assisted by Oriana's very own Martin Batchelar!) of so many awesome Quadrophenia tracks a joy to sing. Our own Dominic Peckham took on Chorus Master duties with his usual dedication and panache, ensuring that we didn't let the occasion go to our heads and lose the precision of sound that is quickly making Oriana famous.
Pete himself was there to provide artistic guidance and we're happy to say he enjoyed our performance: he seemed very pleased with how we sounded and excited to see it all come together.
After working with Robert Plant, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Star Wars in Concert, Barbra Streisand and now Pete Townshend in recent years, we seem to be developing a reputation as one of London's go-to choirs for a strong choral sound, created with no fuss and lots of enthusiasm.
We managed to finish the session ahead of schedule! There should be more to announce very soon so we will let you know when there is more information to share!
