Further Program Details & Credits
LONDON CONTEMPORARY VOICES & 12 ENSEMBLE QUARTET
The string quartet is from The 12 Ensemble, a pioneering un-conducted string ensemble rapidly developing a reputation as one the UK’s leading chamber orchestras. A modern, versatile and virtuosic ensemble, the group is built around a core of twelve of London’s finest chamber musicians. The 12 ensemble are in demand internationally and have worked with artists including Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead), The National, Max Richter and Laura Marling.
The singers are from London Contemporary Voices. LCV Choir is one of the UK’s leading modern choirs, covering a wide range of contemporary classical and popular music. The choir is known for its clean contemporary sound, its versatility and its imaginative approach to musical programming. LCV was first founded in 2010 by artists Anil Sebastian and Didier Rochard and has gone on to work with hundreds of artists, including 22 Grammy nominees. The choir has featured on three UK top ten albums, as well as on Imogen Heap's Grammy-nominated soundtrack to Harry Potter & The Cursed Child.
Freya Ward-Smith is a composer, producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist working across neoclassical, electro and folk music. She has had multiple features on BBC Introducing, as well as on BBC Sounds Mindful Mix podcasts and airplay on BBC 6 Music. Freya also has a background in nature documentary production for television.
“When I explored Romney Marsh for this piece, I was struck by its strange and unusual beauty. The first half of my piece is inspired by the continuous exchange of energy, and endless shifting momentum, which has resulted in dramatic physical changes to the landscape, and resulting challenges for the people of Romney Marsh throughout the ages. The pizzicato strings and rhythmic choir emulate the crashing waves that pummel the shore, the howling winds, and the air currents that allow birds to glide effortlessly over the flat landscape (without forgetting of course the power stations, looming on the horizon as a modern day symbol of energy exchange).
It was a bleak and windy day when we visited Fairfield church and I was struck by its fragility perched within the exposed landscape; some of the other churches we’d visited were so heavily buttressed to stop them from sinking under the weight of their towers into the marshy ground. The rising and falling of the ditches and waterways caused me to consider how the area is constantly physically shifting; working with, and adapting to, the landscape seems to be the only option in a place like this. I have tried to translate this into music.
When I visited the RSPB’s Dungeness reserve, I was struck by the sheer variety of bird species - a cacophony of beautiful and strange sounds, even on a bleak day, carried in the wind. It was inspiring to read about how conservation work has helped migratory and coastal birds - but heart-breaking to read how vulnerable so many species are now. I could not leave this out. The second half of my piece therefore focuses on how unique, important and yet fragile the habitat is here. Listen closely and you might hear the string players take on the calls of some of the most at-risk and fragile birds.”
Greg Ireland is a composer, songwriter and sound artist currently exploring the relationship between sound, space and social history. Taking influence from folklore he creates contemporary music and soundscapes that investigates the relationships between people, the land and their histories and stories.
“Romney Marsh has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As I explored some of the history of the area I began to think of the landscape absorbing an imprint of all the events and stories that occur within it, as if it were cassette tape. From this, I conceived my piece as the land ‘dreaming’: time where the Marsh sleeps and these memories awaken.
Musically the centrepiece of the composition is a setting of John Davidson’s poem “In Romney Marsh”. I have set the poem as if it were a traditional folk song. Some of the interludes also quote from ‘The Oak and the Ivy’, a broadside, a version of which was collected in nearby Aldington from a ‘Mr Wanstall’ by Francis Collinson in 1942. We then take a darker turn to symbolise some of the tumult that has enveloped Romney Marsh, from the Great Storm of 1287 to its place on the frontier in the World Wars. This section also explores the contrast between the ancient landscape and the modern world, with medieval churches standing alongside Dungeness Power Station. At this point the musicians alternate with my own tape loops and Matthew Dear’s synthesizers – analogue, digital and acoustic side by side. Later we return to traditional styles with a section of traditional dance music – the Appledore Polka. Although I originally wrote this on the mandolin (sat on Appledore station waiting for a very delayed train) here it is set in a style of ‘tune singing’ known variously as lilting, mouth music or diddling. We finish with a musical representation of the sunrise over the Marsh, as the land wakes from its slumber, ready to face a new day. Throughout, you’ll hear various excerpts from recordings of local residents, made for the Romney Marsh Oral History Project; I thank them for allowing me to use these. You’ll hear original field recordings made by myself and Matthew Dear at St Mary in the Marsh and Dungeness beach. I’d like to thank Matt for his time and skill in helping me edit these together into sound collages to punctuate the musical elements.”
Jack Durtnall is a musician and nature connection facilitator. He has classical training from Oxford University but after working with Mercury-prize nominated folk artist Sam Lee, he fell in love with folk traditions for their way of weaving music from a strong sense of place, and for the presence of nature woven throughout.
“There is so much that could be said about Romney Marsh. I therefore wanted to blend inspiration from select elements of the natural world that I experienced within the landscape and had a particular connection to, with a dip into of the rich cultural heritage of the area. I chose to focus on the draining of the land; on the Marsh Harrier as an iconic species; on the sound of Skylarks within the flat fields; on the turbulent history of the smuggling in the area; and on Water Crowfoot, a beautiful white flower that grows in the sluggish water of the ditches. My composition is a series of songs inspired by these particular elements. As a guitarist I enjoyed reimagining my guitar and vocal sketches of these songs into full choir and strings; some particularly fun and energising moments included playing with imbuing an essence of the song of the Skylarks into their sections of the piece. I’m very glad that writing this piece has, I feel, brought me closer into connection with Skylarks, Marsh Harriers, Water Crowfoot and Romney Marsh.”
About the project
As part of the Fifth Continent Landscape Partnership Scheme, three early-career composers spent time within the Romney Marsh landscape (Kent), to research and learn about the rich heritage, wildlife and culture of this area, guided by Fifth Continent’s Cultural Heritage Officer, Didier Rochard. The process resulted in three very different compositions, which were performed at the medieval church of St Nicholas in New Romney.
MARENA & MAXIMILLIAN WHITCHER
PERFORMING MUSICIANS: Marena Whitcher: vocals, keys, percussion, toys | Nuriya Khasenova: flute | Antony Burkhard: clarinet | Dominic Wunderli: trumpet | Darryl Bachmann: viola | Daniel Chilirov: violin | Pierre Deppe: cello
FILMED AT MOODS JAZZ CLUB, ZURICH: Carte Blanche Festival 2019 | Video: Carine Zuber
RECORDING: Marin Wolf Mix & master: Rainer Oleak - Tonscheune Berlin https://oleak.de/studio/
All music by Marena Whitcher & Maximilian Whitcher | All lyrics by Marena Whitcher, except 0:54 - 1:16 by Alexandra Smith and 1:17 - 1:45 by Douglas Whitcher
www.marena.ch | IG @marenawhitcher | www.maximilianwhitcher.com | @maximilian.whitcher |
ALISON NEIGHBOUR
Alison is a Folkestone-based artist and scenographer from Wales, working in theatre, dance, installation and site responsive practice, locally and internationally. She works closely with communities and found spaces or outdoor environments, and her focus is always on connection and empathy. As a year-round sea swimmer much of her work is inspired by our relationship with water and our natural environment.
Alison is sharing documentation of Beacons, a year long engagement with the community and landscape of Folkestone, that saw a town embark on a Quest to re-unite the Sea Gooseberries and come together in a collective ritual of light and song on the full moon before the winter solstice.