Bluecoat gets walkthrough soundtrack

Strange sounds could be heard from the Bluecoat on December 8th when local band A.P.A.T.T, accompanied by 30 more of Liverpool’s top musicians, took over to perform a one night only version of Terry Riley’s In C.

Richard Kingdom, Performance Programmer at The Bluecoat, said: “We’ve drawn this ensemble from all sorts of walks of Liverpool’s music life and brought them all together to play this seminal piece.”

In C features 53 short, numbered pieces of music varying in length from half a beat to 32 beats. It’s no surprise after hearing the title of the piece to learn that the only key used throughout is the key of C. The piece featured a variety of instruments from classical to electrical to comical. Rarely do you see a Celtic Harp, a Moog Synthesizer and a Toy Piano being played together.

The sounds of the evening were strange in texture. The droning of horned instruments was juxtaposed by the lightness of the Xylophone with the Keyboards giving a futuristic twist to the performance.

In the piece, musicians played one repeated sequence on their instrument but are not restricted on how many times they repeat it. They have a freedom of choice with their sequence. John Wishart, Head of Composition at Liverpool University’s School of Music, said: “There are places where you can impose your own creation in this piece. It’s a very democratic piece and music is not a democratic business.”

Genevieve Baker, who played a high C repetitively throughout the performance, had the role of ‘The Pulse’. Her Glockenspiel could be heard throughout the building so the other musicians could stay in time.

As you walked through the Bluecoat's East Wing the sounds of the various instruments naturally fused and faded away creating your own mixes as you wandered the halls and exhibits. Jonathan Hering, from A.P.A.T.T who played Upright piano, said: “It doesn’t always have to be on a stage in a room or in a concert hall it can be in amongst the rooms of a building.”

The effect of allowing the audience to roam through the performance, set in Janek Schaefer’s Sound Art exhibition, is that each audience member has their own experience personal to them. Richard Kingdom, Performance Programmer, said: “The context of walking around the building totally brought the piece alive in a different way. It’s a combination of factors which really made it an exceptional project.”