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| Tales from the crypt: Howard Skempton conducts the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra. Image ©2011 Adam Wareing |
Mr. Skempton, who formed the Scratch Orchestra in the 1960s, won the prize for ‘best chamber-scale composition’ by the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2005 for his string quartet piece Tendrils.
He said: “Working with the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra was inspiring and heart-warming. Everyone was friendly in a special Liverpudlian way.”
The ‘open-ended’ ensemble, who comprised around 40 members on the night, are an extension of avant-garde Liverpool band a.P.A.t.T.
The concert, Beneath the Ground, included the world premier of Hope Street Melodies, an intoxicating work, written by Mr. Skempton especially for the evening.
Two of his shorter pieces, Lament and Air Melody, were also performed.
The orchestra also gave a rendition of the swirling In C by Terry Riley, and debuted The Spiral Staircase, a melancholic, and at times fittingly doom-laden work, composed by a.P.A.t.T.’s Jonathan Hering.
Jonathan revealed that the piece took inspiration from ideas in Mark Z. Danielewski's book House of Leaves.
He said: “I wanted to musically represent the concept of 'descent'.”
He added: “It was an absolute joy working with Howard.”
Another a.P.A.t.T. founding member, Stephen Cole, a.k.a General Midi, spoke about the orchestra’s ever-changing roster.
“It’s such a drop-in kind of centre. People can come and go…so its always interesting to see what the orchestra’s going to be and sound like.”
He also said that the group are always seeking challenges, both as writers and musicians.
The aim, according to the group’s blog, was to utilise the crypt’s acoustics and imposing physical space to “consider concepts of depth, resonance and claustrophobia”.
General Midi said: “Being in a pub and playing is not always the best way to get a lot of music across, particularly this style, so we find interesting venues that may inform or command the piece. This is an amazing sounding building — it’s been designed for things like this.”
About writing Hope Street Melodies, Howard Skempton said: “I was aware that the crypt would be the venue and was certainly influenced by images I found on a website.”
He also said: “I'm inspired by the seriousness and commitment of Jon Hering.”
This concert was the third of the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra’s four-part Lottery-funded series called Musical Settings.
Previous performances have been at Liverpool’s World Museum and Sefton Park’s bandstand.
The final part of the series, Beyond the Physical, takes place on February 29th at FACT.
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