Field Music To Commemorate Battle Of The Somme

Group to help soundtrack new film Asunder...

Field Music are to help commemorate the Battle of the Somme in a new project.

It's 100 years since the opening of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest events in the history of warfare.

New film Asunder aims to commemorate the involvement of forces from the North East of England in the battle, using multi-disciplinary techniques to do so.

Curated by St. Etienne's Bob Stanley, the soundtrack for Asunder will be composed and performed by Field Music, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Warm Digits.

David Brewis says of the commission: “The chance to write something completely new and play it with an orchestra doesn’t come around very often. And as we heard about the plans for the film, the idea of telling a more complete story about our home town and how the war affected it was very appealing. There’s nothing quite like hearing a full orchestra right in front of you and if we get it right, then the balance between what you see and hear on screen and what you see and hear from the musicians should be spectacular.”

“One of the other things which intrigued Peter [Brewis] especially about this project was our love of the orchestral music from that period. Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring premiered in 1913, Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in 1912. Bela Bartok and Maurice Ravel were composing, as was Claude Debussy, so it was a time of huge change in harmony and composition and we’ve dipped into that period for inspiration a lot.”

Bob Stanley adds: “For me, Asunder is an opportunity to work with a group I've admired from afar for years, Field Music, and one of my favourite documentary makers, Esther Johnson, as well as a group I only discovered last year but are one of the most thrilling electronic acts in the country, Warm Digits.”

“The premiere will be a truly unique event – the combination of a live score to a new film featuring some incredible archive footage and fascinating local stories, along with the other events going on inside and outside the Empire should be a really memorable day, and I hope one that people will be talking about for years to come. I want everyone who sees it to take pride in the region’s unique history and to feel they can help to build its future.”

Asunder will premiere on July 10th at Sunderland Empire.

Buy Clash Magazine

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.