The Battle of the Somme: On Friday 18th November 2016, Bristol Cathedral hosted a screening of the 1916 documentary film depicting the early days of the Battle of the Somme, accompanied by a new musical score by Laura Rossi performed live by the Bristol Symphony Orchestra. The concert was well attended and those who came found it a very moving experience.

http://bristolsymphony.blogspot.co.uk/
Clifton Cathedral and Bristol Symphony Orchestra present in partnership 
the 1916 silent film The Battle of the Somme with live orchestra, 
on Friday 18th November 2016, 8pm at Clifton Cathedral as part of Somme100 Film

The Film: 18th November is a fitting day for the presentation of the 1916 film The Battle of the Somme as it is the centenary of the final day of that terrible four month-long slaughter that brought such great loss on both sides. The film is made even more powerful by Laura Rossi’s score for orchestra, commissioned by Imperial War Museums (IWM) to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle, played by Bristol Symphony Orchestra under the baton of William Goodchild.

Somme100 Film is an international project working with IWM as part of the First World War Centenary Partnership, marking the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. Its aim is to bring together 100 live orchestral performances of the film and this presentation is one of them.

To its 1916 audience the film gave unprecedented insight into the horrific realities of trench warfare, including depiction of dead and wounded soldiers which had not been shown in cinemas before. As they move towards the Front, troops smile awkwardly at the new-fangled cameras (the moving image was only about 20 years old then). The film reveals the build up to the infantry offensive, including the massive preliminary bombardment, and coverage of the first day of the Battle, which proved to be the bloodiest single day in Britain’s entire military history. It shows the attack’s small gains and huge casualties. 

Shortly after the Battle, it is estimated that within the first two months of release, 20 million people saw the film in the UK, which was over half the country’s adult population. British official cinematographers Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell made the film, which is the source of many of the conflict’s most iconic images still used today. It was not originally intended as a feature film but once the quality and volume of footage had been seen, the British Topical Committee for War Films in London decided to compile this feature length film, so that everyone could witness the horrors of the War.

The Music: Laura Rossi’s score was written to accompany the soundtrack for the digitally restored film. When embarking on her research, she discovered that her great-uncle, Fred Ainge, whom she knew, as he had survived the War, was a stretcher-bearer attached to the 29th Division on 1st July 1916, the first day of the Battle. Using Fred’s diaries to locate the areas in which he had served, Laura visited the battlefields to help prepare herself for composing. The premiere took place in 2006 at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra with a five star review in The Times. (See her bio and contact info below.)

Pre-concert talk: Local journalist and broadcaster, Richard Hope-Hawkins, will give a half-hour talk from 7 to 7.30pm in the Apostle Room at Clifton Cathedral. He discovered that his great-uncle 2nd Lieutenant George Mitchell fought on the Somme alongside Australian soldiers, as did many from Bristol. His expert knowledge of World War I includes the Battle of Fromelles, a subsidiary attack during the Battle of the Somme. 

Poetry Recitals: Word War I poems read by Bristol based actor, Norman Bowler.

Clifton Cathedral: 
Clifton Cathedral, in common with many other Cathedrals in the UK, is running a thoughtful programme of First World War commemoration events for the local community, diocese and the Cathedral’s many visitors. It is for this reason the Cathedral chose to host this special presentation of The Battle of the Somme and work in partnership with Bristol Symphony Orchestra.

The Orchestra: 
Bristol Symphony Orchestra was formed in January 2016 – full details about the Orchestra and forthcoming concerts are available at 
www.bristolsymphonyorchestra.com.

‘Battle of the Somme’ in Bristol by Michael Beek
As we continue to mark the centenary of the First World War (1914-1918), key events from the timeline of that dreadful conflict come to the fore. Earlier this year it was the one-hundredth anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme, a four and a half month campaign that saw the loss of so many men on both sides. A fitting tribute and marker of that horrendous few months in 1916 has been screenings of the film of the battle, immortalised on celluloid as it happened. Re-released in 2006 upon its 90th anniversary, the Imperial War Museum then commissioned a brand new score from composer Laura Rossi, and it is Laura’s music which accompanies the live screenings that have taken place up and down the country these last few months.  Yesterday evening it was Bristol’s turn to experience the film and the music, performed live by Bristol Symphony Orchestra on the centenary of the battle’s final day no less.

I was fortunate to be able to sit in on the run through at Clifton Cathedral, ahead of the public performance, and while I didn’t experience the whole work I was left in no doubt that it would be a stirring and emotionally powerful evening for the audience.  Under the baton of its conductor William Goodchild, the orchestra worked its way through a selection of sequences and cues.  I always enjoy orchestral rehearsals as it affords an opportunity to really see and hear the music coming together; the changes, subtle as they may be, that occur as the cues are performed and performed again, are always surprising.  Will, who had lived with this score for a number of weeks by this point, was able to offer all manner of ways in to the score for the musicians in order for them to make the most of the moments that matter.  The strings, especially, benefitted greatly from such guidance in terms of attack, bowing and the length of notes. It really made all the difference – particularly for the sequence in question, of an enormous explosion. Without the cacophonous sound the device surely created, the strings provide an electrifying accompaniment ending with a nerve-shaking vibrato.
While I wasn’t able to see the whole piece in its entirety, I was already familiar with Laura’s score.  It remains a rich and evocative work, peppered with memorable flourishes and deeply emotive passages.  One scene I did witness at the cathedral came from the fifth and final part, with the inanimate corpses of the dead – lying, sitting – in the fields and trenches… Sobering in their own right, without sound, but with the addition of music? Utterly moving.
Bristol Symphony Orchestra is a relatively new ensemble for the city and this was the second time I have heard them perform. For this performance the ‘amateur’ musicians were joined by a selection of pro’s, and together they outdid themselves, doing the score terrific justice in its subtleties and impact – and that was only a run through. 
Thanks to Will Goodchild, Rachel Goodchild and Bristol Symphony Orchestra.  You can read my original 2008 review of Laura Rossi’s ‘Battle of the Somme’ album here.
http://michaelbeek.co.uk/2016/11/battle-of-the-somme-in-bristol/
CAN YOU GRAB THIS VIDEO
https://vimeo.com/203623814

And CAN YOU GRAB this trailer
https://vimeo.com/183330706
CAN YOU GRAB THESE PHOTOS?
https://www.bristolsymphonyorchestra.com/battle-of-the-somme-photographs
CAN YOU GRAB THIS PROGRAMME? 
https://issuu.com/bristolsymphony/docs/the_battle_of_the_somme_programe__n/12?ff=true&e=24511243/47806618