Plowman, Lynne: Beacons
ENS
Plowman, Lynne: Beacons
ENS
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About
Beacons is designed for outdoor performances. An imaginative approach to the location/setting is critical to the success of the piece. The theme of the piece is long-distance communication. The music includes references to bird-song and morse code.
The music is organised into five ?movements?. The performance begins with Movements I-IV playing, simultaneously, in different locations, within easy walking distance, but out of earshot from each other. The musicians repeat these movements several times as audience members travel between locations to hear each performance. At a specific cue, or pre-arranged time, the musicians and audience gather together at a central location, where Movement V is performed by the full ensemble.
The whole cycle could be repeated several times as a ?happening? in a public place, where audience members could discover elements of the performance by accident. Or it could be staged in a controlled environment and ticketed as a festival event. Audience members could search for the musicians with a map or clues, like a treasure hunt, or they could follow a signposted route. It?s important that the audience is somehow staggered, or divided, for the first four movements, but it doesn?t matter which order the movements are heard in.
For Movement I:Long Distance Call, the horn and tuba players should be separated, so that they ?call? across a large distance to each other, with the audience free to place themselves between them. For Movements II-IV, the musicians should ideally be positioned in secluded corners, where small groups of audience members can experience a more intimate musical performance. Quiet locations with a natural acoustic which reflects the sound, eg walled gardens, courtyards, pedestrian alleys, or castle ruins, etc would be perfect. Movement V needs a more open space, with good sight-lines. Ideally, the musicians should be on a different level to the audience - perhaps at the bottom of a hill, with the audience sitting up above on the hillside, for example.
Depending on the location, a conductor and/or amplification could be beneficial for this final movement.
The music is organised into five ?movements?. The performance begins with Movements I-IV playing, simultaneously, in different locations, within easy walking distance, but out of earshot from each other. The musicians repeat these movements several times as audience members travel between locations to hear each performance. At a specific cue, or pre-arranged time, the musicians and audience gather together at a central location, where Movement V is performed by the full ensemble.
The whole cycle could be repeated several times as a ?happening? in a public place, where audience members could discover elements of the performance by accident. Or it could be staged in a controlled environment and ticketed as a festival event. Audience members could search for the musicians with a map or clues, like a treasure hunt, or they could follow a signposted route. It?s important that the audience is somehow staggered, or divided, for the first four movements, but it doesn?t matter which order the movements are heard in.
For Movement I:Long Distance Call, the horn and tuba players should be separated, so that they ?call? across a large distance to each other, with the audience free to place themselves between them. For Movements II-IV, the musicians should ideally be positioned in secluded corners, where small groups of audience members can experience a more intimate musical performance. Quiet locations with a natural acoustic which reflects the sound, eg walled gardens, courtyards, pedestrian alleys, or castle ruins, etc would be perfect. Movement V needs a more open space, with good sight-lines. Ideally, the musicians should be on a different level to the audience - perhaps at the bottom of a hill, with the audience sitting up above on the hillside, for example.
Depending on the location, a conductor and/or amplification could be beneficial for this final movement.
Contents
- Plowman, Lynne: Beacons
