Rob Bridges enjoys an evening of 1980s nostalgia with The Fulltone Orchestra’s interpretation of the classic album Watermark
Following its triumphant Classical Hall of Fame concert earlier this year, The Fulltone Orchestra returned to The Forum Bath last night to showcase Enya’s iconic album of the late 80’s Watermark.
The wonderful 30 piece orchestra was accompanied by the nine voices of the Cantiamo Choir, featuring the much sought after soprano Ameila Jones. I was lucky enough to see the choir perform in Bath Abbey a few months previous, so knew I was in for a wonderful evening. What’s more, the orchestration for this production had been especially arranged by Dominic Irving, so I knew we were in safe hands.
The first part of the evening showcased the orchestra paying a collection of classic tracks including Palladio, Return to Innocence, Riverdance and Adiemus. The track Lily brought the soloist Vicki Watson to the front of stage, moving from one end to the other playing a saxophone encrusted with thousands of Swarovski crystals. Another track, Chi Mai, took me back to my late teens, listening to it on cassette in my Mini Metro as part of mix tape…
For the main event, you could hear a pin drop as the crowd waited for the first note of title track Watermark. The result was spellbinding, as the orchestra led by Anthony Brown, brought out the very soul of the music’s Celtic undertones, while its fantastic melodies painted a beautiful backdrop of nostalgic memories.
With choir revisiting classic tracks such as On Your Shore, Storms in Africa, Na Laetha Geal M’Oige and Orinoco Flow, you could shut your eyes and you could hear the blended harmonies and the layering of the vocals bringing these tracks to life. Taking on the challenges of soloists for these iconic tracks were Amelia Jones, Teresa Isaacson and Jemma Brown.
Being a massive fan of LA Story I was also excited to hear the iconic track Exile used in the movie. By the end of the evening and with the chords of Morning Glory slowly subsiding, the audience left The Forum with a sea of smiling faces and the haunting beauty of “Sail away, sail away,” still playing in their heads.
The Fulltone Orchestra and Cantiamo choir gave us an evening to remember and we’re looking forward to a return to the wonderful Forum Bath on the 26 April 2025 with the Fulltone Orchestra’s production, Latin Escapades.