The Sinking of The Titanic at the Barbican
15 April 2012
The Barbican Hall
London, UK
Forma is delighted to announce that the Barbican Hall will host a special audiovisual concert to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Titanic disaster.
The Sinking of the Titanic will be performed by its composer Gavin Bryars and his ensemble. Bryars' seminal composition was inspired by reports that the ship’s string ensemble continued to play the hymn tune Autumn as the vessel sank in April 1912. This latest adaptation of the work is infused with layers of Philip Jeck’s vinyl-based samples, and performed with a scenography of archival film images cued live to the music by artists Bill Morrison and Laurie Olinder.
Originally scored for orchestra and tapes, Bryars’ exquisite piece has been interpreted, adapted and performed in innumerable subsequent configurations. Written as an ‘aleatoric’ work, The Sinking of the Titanic was intended to evolve with each performance.
The acclaimed and most recent audio release of the work, on the UK-based Touch label, was recorded live at the 49th International Festival of Contemporary Music at the Venice Biennale in 2005 and was performed by Bryars along with Alter Ego Ensemble and the experimental turntablist Philip Jeck. Throughout the 72 minute piece Bryars and the ensemble weave refrains from Autumn with layers of Jeck’s sample-based materials, creating, at times, clamouring waves of sound that suggest the great engines and massive bulk of the vessel and the ocean that swallowed it. The result is a heart-achingly intimate and direct work.
Early-bird tickets for this memorable event are now available from the Barbican’s website.
Related links
gavinbryars.com
philipjeck.com
Bill Morrison biography
Laurie Olinder official site
Wikipedia: Harold Bride (the ship's surviving wireless operator who reported on the string ensembe playing as the Titanic sank)
Further information for presenters of Forma projects
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