Reviews have been pouring in for A Dream Play at the Oxford Playhouse, for which David Allen has composed the extensive original music score. Here are a few reviews of the music from professional and amateur critics.
Produced by Oxford University student company BlindSpot Productions, A Dream Play was performed in the Oxford Playhouse, from 16th-19th February 2011. David's score drew upon a vast array of musical sources to provide a backdrop to the dream that drew upon the dreamer's "real world" that we saw immediately before the dream began. Using well-known pieces such as Mozart's Rondo alla turca and the Bruch Violin Concerto, David developed the themes of the score by unravelling these pieces and combining them with diverse and colourful orchestral arrangements to emphasise the vibrant and transient quality of the dream.
Claire Cocks from the Oxford Theatre Review:
David Allen’s score added greatly to the production, allowing the audience to experience the music through Agnes’ own eyes, Mozart’s piano piece recurring as the undercurrent of the play. The combination of powerful acting, orchestra, lighting and clever choreography all merged to form the dream-like whole of the production in which these individual strands wove beautifully together as threads woven into a fabric, each strand of the performance in harmony and beautifully entwined with the others.
Lita Doolan from RemoteGoat:
Music composed by David Allen echoes the way the writer uses language and offers a psychological sensitivity that spirals like these dark fairy tales. 21 musicians play superbly in a style that resonates with the mannerism genre, flickering from realism to expressionism.
Amy Hopkins from the Oxford Journal:
The fantastical atmosphere of a dream is also translated to the stage by David Allen’s stunning score, performed by a live orchestra.
William Hooper from the Cherwell:
[stage action] fit[s] comfortably within David Allen's fresh new score ...
Rebecca Whiteley, also from the Oxford Theatre Review:
The music was wonderfully arranged and interacted fluidly with the play...
Mary Tapper from The Public Reviews:
We were also treated to excellent music and I particularly enjoyed the violin playing in the second act.
Sophielle from Daily Info:
... fantastic music (David Allen) ...
Christopher Gray from the Oxford Times:
David Allen’s imaginative, eclectic music, performed by a 21-strong orchestra, made an important contribution to setting the mood for this first-rate production – a credit to all concerned in it.