I was invited to give a presentation of Sound Scape at the annual AGM and Conference of the Landscape and Arts Network, of which I have been a member for many years.
My prepared PPP presentation unfortunately couldn’t open, but fortunately I had enough information on my website to make the presentation with the help of two laptops!
It was extremely well received – I have a 10 minute video of a rehearsal embedded in my website, which when plugged into a very splendid sound system made very enjoyable viewing. The audience really loved it and it was extremely gratifying.
Sound Scape will be performed live with around 10 musicians at Manchester Art Gallery as part of their Thursday Lates events at 7pm on Thursday February 23rd. Many of yesterday’s group said they would come. I invite anyone who happens to be in the Manchester area to join us. It will be in the atrium which has a balcony, and the sound should be very special. Julia and I hope you can make it. The performance lasts around 40 minutes.
We had a small but very interested and intense audience for the World Premiere of
“Sound Scape” last Sunday as we were competing with the Mayor’s Parade and a really beautiful sunny and warm day. One again it sounded completely different and the ending was quite dramatic with a bass clarinet and French horn finishing exactly at the same time. In rehearsals it has frequently been the bass guitar and a flute finishing separately – providing a very different atmosphere.
“Sound Scape” has been a challenge for us but it has been a challenge that has been very satisfying. Both Julia and I have discovered we are a great team and we hope to create other projects together in the future. Our next formal performance will be on Thursday February 23rd at around 7 p.m. at Manchester Art Gallery as part of their “Thursday Lates” programme which promises to be completely different again because the atrium, between the old and the new building, has a balcony – so visually it will be completely different as well as the performance. We are also hoping to arrange further performances of it and would love to take it abroad as part of an Art in Nature Symposium in the future
Julia’s Blog
The World Premiere of our project was Sunday 18th September 2016 – it was very exciting to finally bring “Sound Scape” 2016 to life with the help of KEMS Contemporary who have been on this journey with Lorna and me from the beginning. It was very moving to hear the points of stillness and quietness which kept emerging from the texture. The audience enjoyed the performance and were curious about how the piece was constructed – they asked lots of questions, so perhaps we need to build some time for an introductory talk next time. Just looking forward to our next performance at Manchester Art Gallery.
Constructing and composing this piece has made me work and think in different ways about the role of the composer and the control he/she has over the processes involved in the performance of a piece of music as “Sound Scape” will always be different every time it is performed!
Lorna Green commented:
This is an image of the sheet music for the nine art in nature sculptures in the same order as on the ground. !0 minutes of the performance of about 40 minutes can be seen as a rehearsal on https://youtu.be/tc4nUjwYM8A . The first public performance will be on Sunday 18th September at 2pm and 3pm at Charles Roe House, Macclesfield in conjunction with Cheshire Open Studios Exhibition.
“Sound Scape” 2016 by Lorna Green and Julia Harding
“Sound Scape” consists of 9 art in nature sculptures, positioned in a grid, with music composed for each sculpture by Julia Harding. ‘Sound Scape’ has nine sections – every performer plays every section at least once and there should not be any attempt to achieve synchronisation of the parts but performers should feel free to respond musically to each other during the performance.
August 18
The poster for the World Premiere of Sound Scape is now ready and there will be two performances on Sunday 18th September at 2pm and again at 3pm of it with live musicians. Each performance will be different according to the choices of the musicians in selecting the sculptures and the music.
Sound Scape has nine sections – every performer plays every section at least once and there should not be any attempt to achieve synchronisation of the parts but performers should feel free to respond musically to each other during the performance.
Sound Scape will be part of Cheshire Open Studios Exhibition at Charles Roe House in Macclesfield from 8th to 25th September. The Private View is on Friday 9th September from 6pm. The nine sculptures will be installed and there will be several compilations of the playing of the musicians.
These have been recorded and complied by Paul Maddocks, our Sound Engineer, in conjunction with Julia Harding, the composer and will be on a loop for continuous playing throughout the exhibition.
We have a further performance, tbc, arranged for February, and we hope here will be many more – maybe even in Europe at an Art in Nature Symposium next year.
The next blog will be after the World Premiere which we hope will be a great success!
Since our last rehearsal, members of KEMS Minimalists have been visiting Paul Maddocks’ recording studio to play their parts for Paul to record. Paul is very patient – some taking longer than others – and he will, once all are completed create, with Julia, several compilations which will then be in a loop in order that the installation can work when the musicians are not present. There will be a good selection of instruments to work with, and, as each live playing is different, should give a good representation of the possibilities.
Julia adds, ‘Recording the tracks was a new experience for me and I am very pleased that most of the players have now recorded their parts so that Paul and I will soon be able to discuss how we are going to work out the recording will work in practice. It will certainly be different from a live performance. I’m also looking at submitting the score to another organisation for publication – more to follow later’.
We are, at present, awaiting confirmation of two possible venues for “Sound Scape” both with a live performance and also the possibility of remaining in situ with the recorded compilations.
