Rock electric violin duo FUSE, Linzi Stoppard & Ben Lee, joined special guests at the Royal Albert Hall to perform for the memorable anniversary of VE Day concert.
stunning...raising the bar for electric violinists the globe over
(1888PressRelease) August 03, 2010 - The Royal Albert Hall played host to a memorable concert to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. The spectacular event raised money for the British Red Cross - the volunteer-led humanitarian organisation focused on helping people in crisis worldwide. The commemoration was attended by VIP guests including HRH Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Lady Raine Spencer, HE The Russian Ambassador Yuri Fedotov, Sir Michael Stoute, Jeremy Irons, Maria Shammas MBE, Stephen and Assia Webster, Elizabeth Emanuel, Nancy dell'Olio, Yasmin Mills, Linzi Stoppard, Olivia Inge, Amanda Cronin, James Whale and many others. There were also addresses made by the British Prime Minister, the Russian President and the Russian Prime Minister.
The line-up included performances by some of the UK's biggest rock acts, Jethro Tull and Rick Wakeman who boast combined record sales of over 100 million, as well as "The People's Tenor" Russell Watson, electric violin duo FUSE featuring Linzi Stoppard & Ben Lee, R&B star Lemar and actor Jeremy Irons. The programme also featured performances from the world-renowned Alexandrov Red Army Choir, folk-diva Nadezhda Babkina, one of the most popular singers across the former USSR Tamara Gverdsiteli, rock star Alexander Marshall, the young but already acclaimed Kvatro group, the artist Xenia Simonova and Russia's very own Sinatra - Iosif Kobzon.
The event recognised the feat of the Allies and their resistance movements 65 years ago, as well as marking the close relationship between the British Red Cross and Russia. War veterans from Russia, USA and UK were also present at what was a truly remarkable evening.
The concert was followed by a stunning black-tie reception in the Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall where VIPs sipped fabulous Stolichnaya vodka cocktails.
The concert was presented by Ensemble Productions. Founded in 1998 by Director Olga Balakleets, Ensemble is a London based company, specialising in organising and promoting classical, jazz, world, pop and rock concerts, opera, ballet and contemporary dance productions in the UK and internationally.
FUSE are virtuoso musicians Linzi Stoppard and Ben Lee who, on their self-titled debut album, harness their bespoke signature Bridge electric violins and take Rock tracks that people love and radically but lovingly reinterpret them. As Linzi says, "It's completely fresh, no one thought that what we do was even possible.
What FUSE do is unique but they feel that the tracks that they reinvent are not untouchable. "We're unafraid to cover classic rock tracks," says Ben. "Don't forget that all "classical" music today is cover versions of music by pop stars from the last 300 years! What we do can have a truly global appeal; there are no language barriers. Whilst we're a string band, people can sing along to the choruses that we all know".
FUSE's eponymous debut album is out on Universal / Edel Records.