Press Release
28 February 2017
“EVEN A BRIDGE CAN MAKE MUSIC:”
OPERA NORTH TURNS HUMBER BRIDGE INTO EPIC SOUND WALK - TICKETS ON SALE NOW.
The Height of the Reeds is a major new sound installation by Opera North for the iconic Humber Bridge, running 1 – 30 April 2017as part of Hull UK City of Culture 2017.Tickets are available from Tuesday 28 February.
The installation is an adventure in soundfeaturing the Chorus and Orchestra of Opera North; an original piece of music heard through headphones during a walk across the bridge, alongside the resonances of the bridge and its weather and traffic. It is composed by the Norwegian trumpeter and contemporary jazz musician Arve Henriksen, electronic musician Jan Bang and guitarist EivindAarset, mixing their own music, orchestral and choral music, and field recordings made at the Humber Bridge itself by Hull-based sound artist Jez riley French.
The Height of the Reedsprovides visitors to the Humber Bridge with a unique audio experience, designed to be listened to during a walk across the bridge’s 2,220-metre span – the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world that it is possible to cross by foot. It uncovers the hidden sounds of the bridge and its surrounding natural environment of river and fens, pairing these with music that is both atmospheric and epic.
In addition to the multiple layers of music, The Height of the Reeds contains lines of poetry by Norwegian poet Nils Christian Moe-Repstadread by Hull-born actors Maureen LipmanandBarrie Rutter, and narration recorded by Katie Smith, aged 7, a pupil from Bude Park Primary School in Bransholme, where Opera North has been delivering a Singing School programme over the last three years.
The project explores the bridge’s significance as both a symbol of home and a landmark of travel, by mixing local voices with music from Hull’s long term trading partners across the water in Scandinavia. The result is music that is at the same time epic and incredibly intimate, using the might of Opera North and the delicacy of a single note.
Composer and musician Jan Bang describes the process of creating the work:
“For us, it was interesting to start with the actual walk on the bridge, and to hear what the sound of the bridge was like. We went inside the bridge together with the sound artist Jez riley French and we listened to the sounds of the cars moving across the bridge above our heads, and further down Jez took some beautiful recordings of the cables resonating, which sounds like an orchestra itself.
“We have just followed the natural environment of the bridge and the surroundings, like the sound of the reeds. If you put contact mics, very small microphones on the reeds, they sound like drumsticks, and if you have a thousand of those, it’s quite powerful.
“It’s not just a normal sound walk, and it’s not just a normal piece of music. It’s interactive, so when you pass certain points during this walk, that will trigger certain musical fragments or a poem or the sound of a little girl from Hull. Even when you walk across the bridge, the piece is not something which is static, it’s something which continues to live.”
Composer and trumpeter Arve Henriksen comments:
“Jan and Eivind first went into the studio as a duo and recorded some sequences of music, and then they sent the files to me and I added trumpet, improvised over the top. After that we sent it to the orchestrator Aleksander Waaktar, who worked on the musical arrangements for the chorus and orchestra. Exchanging files via the internet now is the way we work very often, because it’s difficult to meet up.
“We were really privileged to get this invitation to create the work, and it’s fantastic to work with someone like Jez riley French who I’d heard of but never met, and to work with the Chorus and Orchestra of Opera North – it’s inspiring.I hope that audience members, walking across the bridge with a headset, will be inspired by it too. If this could be a starting point for the audience to be more aware that every day you are surrounded by so many sounds, and that a bridge, even a bridge, can make music, that’s lovely.”
The Height of the Reedslaunches on Saturday 1 April 2017 with a weekend of special timed group walks with added live interventions, and will then be available to experience for the following month. Visitors need only collect a headset on arrival at the bridge to activate a unique sonic experience that unfolds as they walk the length of the bridge.
Jo Nockels, Projects Manager, Opera North, comments:
“The Humber Bridge is such a meaningful place to make music about. It is both a hugely important symbol of homecoming and belonging for local people and a symbolic threshold on the journey of the Humber estuary towards the sea.
“Working with amazing musicians from across that sea in Norway, this new piece of music in motion responds to these ideas, and allows visitors to experience the hidden music and rhythms of the bridge itself as they walk across it.”
Tickets for The Height of the Reeds are free from Monday 3 – Sunday 30 April. Tickets for the opening weekend (Saturday 1 April – Sunday 2 April) are priced at £7.50, which includes additional live interventions during the walk as well as some treats along the way.
/ENDS
Listings:
INSTALLATION:
The Height of the Reeds: A Sound Journey for the Humber Bridge
Opera North and Hull UK City of Culture 2017
Head on over to the Humber Bridge, put on a set of our headphones and disappear into a sound adventure, walking the epic span of the bridge, with a world of sound in your ears.
Music by Norwegian trumpeter ArveHenriksen, guitarist EivindAarset and electronic wizard Jan Bang gives way to the vast sound of the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North; threaded through with the deep music of the bridge itself, captured by Hull based sound artist Jez riley French. Evoking both the long history of sea travel from Hull, and the bridge as a powerful symbol of home, The Height of the Reeds is an unforgettable experience in sound.
Box office:
Online: hull2017.co.uk
Phone: 01482 30 2017
Booking in advance is advised as the number of headsets available at any one time is limited.
The total length of the walk across the Humber Bridge and then returning to the Tourist Information Centre is 5km (3 miles), and is expected to take 60-90 minutes. Visitors are advised to check the local weather forecast and bring appropriate clothing and footwear, as well as any refreshments.
Walk starting point/ headset collection:
Humber Bridge Tourist Information Centre
North Bank Viewing Area
Ferriby Road
Hessle
East Yorkshire
HU13 0LN
Dates and times:
Saturday 1 April and Sunday 2 April - Tickets £7.50
Limited tickets are available for each slot and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
11.00am – 12.30pm
1.00pm – 2.30pm
3.00pm – 4.30pm
5.00pm – 6.30pm (Sunday 2 April only)
Mon 3 April – Sun 30 April – Free, ticketed.
Limited tickets are available for each slot and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Daily time slots:
10.00am – 11.30am
12.00pm – 1.30pm
2.00pm – 3.30pm
Production credits:
The Height of the Reeds: A Sound Journey for the Humber Bridge
Music by Jan Bang, ArveHenriksen and EivindAarset, arranged by Aleksander Waaktar, with field recordings by Jez riley French
Music performed by the Chorus and Orchestra of Opera North and the composers.
Poetry by Nils Christian Moe-Repstad translated from the original Norwegian by Ren Powel. Excerpts taken from Nils Christian Moe-Repstad’s book: Wunderkammer (2016).
System designer: Arnaud Mercier
Conductor: Justin Doyle
Sound recording: Jamie Saye and Jez riley French
Spoken voices: Barrie Rutter, Maureen Lipman, Katie Smith
Production Manager: Jane Earnshaw
For Opera North: Jo Nockels
For Hull 2017: Martin Atkinson
Commissioned and produced by Opera North
For press information regarding Opera North, please contact:
Julia O’Sullivan, Head of Communications
0113 223 3526 | 07956 647573 | julia.o’
Elizabeth Simmonds, Press Officer | 0113 213 5641|
Rowland Thomas, Press Officer |0113 213 3528 |
Notes to Editors:
Opera North
Opera North is England’s national opera company in the North and one of Europe’s leading arts organisations. The Company is committed to producing work of the highest quality that excites, challenges and entertains, and regularly collaborates with artists and companies working in a variety of media, including film and visual art. Its versatileChorusandOrchestraalso perform independently, constantly revitalising their approaches to music-making.
Opera North Educationis one of the leading arts education departments in the country. The team delivers a range of workshops and creative projects, encouraging young people and communities to explore the art form of opera. Opera North is proud of its northern roots and provides a valuable resource for the cultural life of the region and for the development of young talent. Opera North Education is currently delivering a Community Residency programme in Bransholme, Hull, including the Opera North Singing School, at Bude Park Primary School. The company is also delivering a year-long singing and movement programme at Adelaide Primary School, commissioned by Hull UK City of Culture 2017.
2017 also marks Opera North’s return to large scale opera performance in Hull, with confirmed dates in the city including Puccini’s Turandotat Hull City Hall on Tuesday 9 May, and The Little Greats, a season of one act operas including Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, at Hull New Theatre 26-28 October. Tickets for all events are on sale now.
Opera North’s work in Hull is generously supported by:
The University of HullThe Emerald Foundation
William Jackson Food Group The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation
Professor and Mrs Barrie PettmanHull and East Riding Charitable Trust
City Health Care Partnership FoundationThe Whitaker Charitable Trust
Opera North Future FundThe Sir James Reckitt Charity
Hull UK City of Culture 2017
Hull UK City of Culture 2017 is a 365 day programme of cultural events and creativity inspired by the city and told to the world. Hull secured the title of UK City of Culture 2017 in November 2013. It is only the second city to hold the title and the first in England.
Divided into four seasons, this nationally significant event draws on the distinctive spirit of the city and the artists, writers, directors, musicians, revolutionaries and thinkers that have made such a significant contribution to the development of art and ideas.
The Culture Company was set up to deliver the Hull 2017 programme and is an independent organisation with charitable status. It has raised £32 million, with over 60 partners supportingthe project, including public bodies, lottery distributors, trusts and foundations and local and national businesses. Key contributions are coming from:Host City– Hull City Council;Principal Partners- Arts Council England, BBC,Big Lottery Fund, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, KCOM, KWL, Spirit of 2012, Yorkshire Water and the University of Hull;Major Partners–Associated British Ports, Arco, BP, the British Council, Green Port Hull, Hull Clinical Commissioning Group,MKM Building Supplies, P&O Ferries, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Sewell Group, Siemens, Smith & Nephew and Wykeland Group.
68 per cent of the funding is dedicated to public facing activities, including the widest range of cultural events in every corner of the city, with a further 11 per cent for legacy and contingency. More than £5 million is being invested in volunteering, learning and community engagement. £1.6 million is being invested to ensure a legacy after 2017. This includes capacity building, such as supporting existing events so they can grow, staging curtain-raiser events, developing future programming for after 2017 and building a new platform to support a unified ticketing system for the city.
Hull 2017’s International Partners are: Aarhus, Denmark, which is European Capital of Culture 2017; Reykjavik, Iceland; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and Freetown, Sierra Leone (twinned with Hull). These relationships are reflected in a number of events throughout the year.
For information go to
Follow us onTwitter@2017HullInstagram@2017hullFacebookHullCityofCulture
For press information about Hull 2017, please contact:
Susie & Clare t The Corner Shop PR - 0131 202 6220
Ben McKnight at Hull 2017,/ 07718 100793