New Commission... Chronotope: Music in a Different Time and Place
10 August 2020
This year we’re doing things a little differently…
We announced in June that we had been successful in receiving an Arts Council England emergency grant. We have used this grant to commission special performances on Marsden Moor to try something new – to support artists through this difficult time by creating, recording, and filming music in the rich outdoor landscape around Marsden and sharing it with the world through digital means rather than with a live audience.
We’ve commissioned several musicians to conduct special performances in a number of iconic locations on Marsden Moor. The films of the performances bring the landscape into the foreground, blending the music with ambient natural sounds, to create something different and special.
Our first episode (and there will be five in total) features three performances by musician, composer and actor Keeley Forsyth, singing pieces from her astounding album Debris, alongside pianist and composer Matthew Bourne who accompanied on a portable harmonium. The result is haunting, inspiring, imaginative and magical.
“Forsyth’s album ‘Debris’ is one of the most remarkable in years” The Sunday Times
“One of the defining releases of 2020 may already be upon us” 9/10 Music OMH
Our brand new commission has been specially created in summer 2020 in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Chronotope is a word which describes how time and place are represented in language. Marsden Jazz Festival speaks the language of music, and in the current climate, with so much change and uncertainty, we wanted to create music which explored time, place, and our position within it.
There are many different things which make Marsden so special, one of which is its proximity to the National Trust managed Marsden Moor Estate, a rugged landscape of rocks, hills and waterways which is loved by locals and visitors alike. The films of the performances bring the landscape into the foreground, celebrating this iconic location.
Below is a little teaser of one of Keeley & Matt’s performances to whet your appetite. The full videos of the performances will be published across all our platforms this weekend!
© 2020
