One of the musicians behind the soundtrack to Coventry Cathedral’s New Year’s Eve spectacular has revealed how the inspiration for the performance has come directly from the people of the city.
Musicity’s Andy Spackman has been part of the team that has created an electronic piece called Sunrise Sonata that will accompany the light installation at Sunrise in the Cathedral Ruins.
The event will take the audience out of the dark and into the light of the New Year over the three 20-minute performances throughout the night.
The electronic soundscape fuses quotes from residents about sunrises and new beginnings with chaotic noise before peace resumes, mirroring Coventry’s history of chaos during the Blitz to the present-day City of Peace and Reconciliation.
Andy said: “Sunrise was both an exciting and daunting commission initially, but we wanted to capture the reflection of what Coventry as a city has experienced from the night of the Blitz in 1940 to the peace of the modern day.
“What we have created reflects this new beginning of rebuilding the city from the rubble and within the ruins of Coventry Cathedral we will take the audience on a reflective and optimistic journey to reflect Coventry’s wider transformation.”
Sunrise is a collaboration between design practice NEON and Musicity supported by the Coventry City of Culture Trust with songwriter Anna Palmer and Musicity founder Nick Luscombe.
Andy added: “Our idea was to have an ‘inverse crescendo’ of noise; as the sunrise goes from darkness to light, the music changes from loud and chaotic to quiet and simple reflecting the three movements of emotional states in response to awakening to the sunrise including Disorientation, Rhythm and Simplicity.
“Movement One will reflect the highly disorientated space of darkness before sunlight, placing the audience into a position of hyper-sensitivity before Movement Two brings the unstable timing of the sunrise and Movement 3 brings the slow, lumbering move towards full sunlight.
“We are thrilled to be able to present such a different electronic soundscape experience and to help people celebrate the new beginnings that 2019 will bring.
“The focus on the history of Coventry and connection that residents still have with this legacy is at the centre of this experience so it is definitely not to be missed!”
Creative Director of Musicity Nick Luscombe said: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Anna and Andy on this project, two artists I hugely respect for their dynamic and innovative approach to creating music. They have helped initiate a new sonic vision for Coventry and I hope this will be the beginning of further widespread Musicity activity in the city for years to come.”
Jacqui Ibbotson, of Coventry City of Culture Trust, added: “We are thrilled to be bringing such a different New Year’s Eve celebration to Coventry to help people welcome in 2019.
“It’s wonderful that Musicity was able to draw inspiration from Coventry and from local people and interweave this into the electronic soundscape to light up such a historical venue and an important focal point of the city centre, we’re expecting tickets to sell very quickly.”
Tickets for the live New Year’s Eve performances of Sunrise – at 6pm, 9pm and midnight – are £6 for over 16s (including booking fee) and free for those under 16. To book or for more information visit www.plumb-line2018.co.uk or call Ticketmaster on 08448440444.
The spectacular performance will be repeated for free for anyone who missed it or would like to watch it again with a pre-recorded soundtrack between January 1 and January 13, every hour from 5pm until 9pm with the performances set to conclude Plumb Line Festival, a year-long celebration of 100 years of the Diocese and Coventry Cathedral.