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92 – Penzance Orchestral Society, Conducted by Judith Bailey
Date – 8th July 2017, 7:30 pm
Venue – St John’s Hall, Penzance, Cornwall

Penzance Orchestral Society put on a live screening of The Battle of the Somme as part of the Penzance Literary Festival. The evening began with a few words from Rosie Jackson from the British Red Cross followed by Dr Toby Haggith (Senior Curator from the Imperial War Museum) in conversation with author Stella Duffy. A piper played outside as the audience left.

Penzance Orchestral Society

To mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, the Imperial War Museum has not only restored the legendary silent documentary shot at the battle, but commissioned composer, Laura Rossi to write a haunting new soundtrack for it. Penzance Orchestral Society, 110 this year, is proud to be one of a hundred orchestras around the country performing Laura’s music at a screening. The hour-long film will be preceded by a short conversation with Dr Toby Haggith, Senior Curator from the Imperial War Museum’s film department, who was closely involved in the film’s restoration and re-release.

Audience and Orchestra feedback

A massive congratulations to our conductor Judith for her expertise in keeping us all together in our concert this evening, as part of The Battle of the Somme Centenary Tour, while coping with a click track in her ear all night. And a huge thank you to Patrick Gale for having organised the whole event and inspiring us to try a new venture. It was a privilege to be part of such a moving experience.

Penzance Orchestral Society

It was a unique experience and challenge to try something completely new and our audience loved it

Orchestra member

Having been stressed by all the logistics concerning the performance, I now find that I am haunted by the music. A wonderful score!

Orchestra member

Your composition was both moving and compassionate and bridged the gap of time between the films creation and our viewing it brilliantly. Well done to the Penzance orchestra for their artful playing.

Christopher Morris (Audience member)

It was so exciting and moving. The film is so much more than propaganda, once you look at the images and overlook the government-produced intertitles. We made a bunch of people cry, including the mayor, and I reckon we did pretty well. I heartily applaud everyone, not least Judith, for adapting so swiftly to the challenges of performing to a click track while still making it sound like spontaneous music. Our technician, Dave Hancock was really impressed by all the precision and dynamic range that entered the performance post dress rehearsal!

Patrick Gale (Secretary of Penzance Orchestral Society)

It was an entirely appropriate way to remember the Battle of the Somme and indeed WWI. The digital re-mastering of this film is outstanding. The film had an unexpected immediacy for a 100 year old production. The smiling faces of soldiers marching up to the Front were disconcertingly similar to the faces of young men you see in Penzance (possibly their great grand children as the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry were featured). The impact of the event was profound – the piper outside playing a lament as the audience left a fine touch.

Dick Cliffe  (audience member)

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Gallery

100 Performances

(P1) = Performance 1, P2 etc
(SP) = Schools’ Performance
(OR) = Open Rehearsal

01 – BBC Symphony Orchestra – Thiepval, France
02 – Berkhamsted Schools Orchestra
03 – Chetham’s Sinfonia – Chetham’s
04 – Docklands Sinfonia
05 – Southend Orchestra 100
06 – Chetham’s Sinfonia – IWM North
07 – Chetham’s Sinfonia – Manchester Cathedral
08 – Camden Symphony Orchestra
09 – Chester Philharmonic Orchestra – 2 pm
10 – Chester Philharmonic Orchestra – 7:30 pm
11 – Chandos Symphony Orchestra
12 – Music Workshop’s Advanced Music Ensemble – Nottinghamshire
13 – Cambridge Concert Orchestra – Cambridge
14 – New Zealand Symphony Orchestra – 3 pm
15 – New Zealand Symphony Orchestra – 7 pm
16 – Chetham’s Sinfonia – IWM London
17 – The Angel Orchestra – Catford
18 – Memorial University Chamber Orchestra – 10:30 am
19 – Memorial University Chamber Orchestra – 7 pm
20 – Ealing Symphony Orchestra
21 – Leicester Symphony Orchestra
22 – Falkirk Tryst Orchestra – OR
23 – Falkirk Tryst Orchestra
24 – Studio Symphony Orchestra
25 – The King Edward Musical Society
26 – Jersey Academy of Music & Chetham’s Sinfonia
27 – Animate Orchestra
28 – Cambridge Concert Orchestra
29 – Durham University Symphony Orchestra – 2 pm
30 – Durham University Symphony Orchestra – 7:30 pm
31 – Thames Youth Orchestra – OR
32 – Thames Youth Orchestra
33 – Chichester University Orchestra
34 – Sutton Youth Symphony Orchestra
35 – Collegium Musicum Berlin
36 – Stockport Symphony Orchestra
37 – Westbourne Orchestral Society – P1
38 – Westbourne Orchestral Society – P2
39 – Leeds College of Music Community Orchestra
40 – BBC Concert Orchestra
41 – Glasgow Studio Orchestra
42 – Cardiff University Symphony Orchestra
43 – Worthing Symphony Orchestra
44 – Ealing Youth Orchestra – OR
45 – Ealing Youth Orchestra
46 – BBC Concert Orchestra – OR
47 – BBC Concert Orchestra
48 – Bristol Symphony Orchestra
49 – Camerata Ireland & Sinfonua
50 – Hull Philharmonic Orchestra
51 – Northants County Training Orchestra
52 – Aylesbury Symphony Orchestra
53 – Exeter Symphony Orchestra – Exeter
54 – Exeter Symphony Orchestra – Teignmouth P1
55 – Exeter Symphony Orchestra – Teignmouth P2
56 – The Works’ Community Orchestra – OR
57 – The Works’ Community Orchestra
58 – Somme100 Noord – Groningen
59 – Somme100 Noord – Smilde
60 – Somme100 Noord – Assen
61 – Haringey Youth Orchestra
62 – Musica Kirklees – OR
63 – Musica Kirklees
64 – West of England Youth Orchestra
65 – Suffolk Youth Orchestra – Bury St Edmunds
66 – Suffolk Youth Orchestra – Snape
67 – Somme100 Noord – Amsterdam
68 – Musica Kirklees – OR
69 – Musica Kirklees
70 – Orchestral du Pau – Morlaàs – SP
71 – Orchestral du Pau – Morlaàs
72 – Oxford University Orchestra – OR
73 – Oxford University Orchestra
74 – Pulham Orchestra
75 – Orchestral du Pau – Nay
76 – Hastings Sinfonia – OR
77 – Hastings Sinfonia
78 – Orchestral du Pau – Billère
79 – Cobweb Orchestra – Newcastle P1
80 – Cobweb Orchestra – Newcastle P2
81 – Orchestral du Pau – Pau
82 – British Police Symphony Orchestra – OR
83 – British Police Symphony Orchestra
84 – Peterborough Symphony Orchestra
85 – Stafford Orchestra
86 – Waltham Forest Youth Orchestra – P1
87 – Waltham Forest Youth Orchestra – P2
88 – Combined Armed Forces Orchestra – P1
89 – Combined Armed Forces Orchestra – P2
90 – Airedale Symphony Orchestra – OR
91 – Airedale Symphony Orchestra
92 – Penzance Orchestral Society
93 – Sedbergh Orchestra – Sedburgh
94 – Sedbergh Orchestra – Skipton
95 – Oldham Symphony Orchestra
96 – Cobweb Orchestra – Stanley
97 – Endcliffe Orchestra – OR
98 – Endcliffe Orchestra
99 – Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra
100 – Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra

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