Playing, not drowning

摘要

Haunting yet melodic music emerges from five giant aquaria on a stage. In each tank, a submerged musician is playing an instrument underwater or singing, seemingly defying the laws of nature. I'm in Rotterdam at the world premiere of AquaSonic, the culmination of 10 years' work by singer-composer Laila Skovmand and her band, Between Music. Given that producing sound in water isn't easy, few musicians have taken on the challenge. The acoustics are completely different, so most instruments don't work underwater, and singing doesn't sound quite right because it is accompanied by the crackle of popping bubbles.