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When Lime Cordiale take the stage at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall at the end of September, there’ll be a few more bodies – and instruments – on stage with them.
The Sydney band, based around brothers Oliver and Louis Leimbach, will be accompanied by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
“Everyone will be perhaps familiar with Lime Cordiale, but they won’t be familiar with Lime Cordiale with the [Queensland] Symphony Orchestra,” QSO artistic director Matthew Wood says.
“[The band] is normally about four or five or six members, but with the symphony orchestra that will easily turn into something like 50 musicians on stage all performing the music of Lime Cordiale, so it’s a big thing.”
Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Matthew Wood: “If you’ve never experienced a symphony orchestra live, then you should.”Credit: Brittney Deguara
The timing of the event means the musicians will only be able to rehearse a few times together before QSO’s Vanessa Scammell steps up to the conductor stand. The band has captured one of those rehearsals and shared the moment on social media earlier in the week.
“These often are on a tight turnaround, but we have very clever musicians,” Wood says.
Their current tour will be the first time the band has collaborated with orchestras to give their hit songs new life, putting them in the same ranks as some of the greatest bands in history.
“Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin … Freddie Mercury and Queen were always thinking orchestrally in the way that they put their songs together … Lime Cordiale’s no exception, you can hear that in their music.
“Their music stems from a very broad sound palette.”
Wood expects the September 27 show will be the first exposure to symphonic music for many in the audience. He has three simple words to prepare them for what they are set to experience.
“Completely life changing,” he says.
“Sometimes people may think that orchestral music or symphonic music isn’t for them. But it really is a part of everyday life, and you may not know you’re consuming it, but if you’re sitting down and watching a movie and there’s a soundtrack, it’s often orchestral music, if you’re sitting down playing your favourite game at home ... it’s often orchestral music.”
This collaboration is just one of the ways the QSO is bringing orchestral music to the mainstream, in a bid to expand its audience and fulfil its mission to “bring the wonders of symphonic music to every Queenslander”.
Sometimes people may think that orchestral music or symphonic music isn’t for them. But it really is a part of everyday life.
Without disclosing artists, Wood confirms further band collaborations are in the works, in addition to regularly accompanying film screenings.
This December, the orchestra will perform the score to the 1990 holiday favourite Home Alone.
“If you’ve never experienced a symphony orchestra live, then you should, and I can promise you that you’ll always want to come back,” Wood says.
“We just want to share this incredibly powerful, wonderful music with you.”
Tickets are on sale now for Lime Cordiale with Queensland Symphony Orchestra at the Fortitude Music Hall on Saturday, September 27.
