Tuesday 6 October 2009

Rehearsals in progress

Chris Stones, Gavin Bradshaw and Jamie Barnes are currently in rehearsals for a forthcoming concert. They are planning to add a further acoustic instrument to enhance the sound of the antique lithophone. Updates on this development will be posted shortly.

Friday 24 July 2009

Stones Resonate in Cathedral

Chris Stones, Gavin Bradshaw and Jamie Barnes performed a series of newly-composed lithophone music in concerts in Carlisle today (24/07/09). You can read a BBC report on the event, including pictures and even an audio interview with Chris and Jamie here: http://bit.ly/13glXS

Thursday 16 July 2009

Upcoming Musical Stones concerts

We have two upcoming Musical Stones concerts on Saturday the 25th July in Carlisle, Cumbria, UK. The first one is at 11am in Carlisle centre, and the second is at 1pm inside Carlisle Catherdal. A full report will be posted here, and there are more concerts on the way.

Sunday 5 April 2009

Subterrean Rock Concert Wows Audiences



The 4 & 5th April 2009 marked the World Premiere of 'Slate Song': a collaborative performance between Soundwave, Changeling Productions, Storytree and Keswick Museum and Art Gallery for the man-made caverns of Honister Slate Mine.

Slate Song combined the music of ancient Cumbrian stone instruments, violin and voice with atmospheric lighting and shadow play. An underground cave inside the Lake District mountain Fleetwith Pike was the venue for this unique rock concert. A team of performers donned hard hats and headtorches and ventured 40 metres into the vast 'Cathedral Cavern' located at the heart of the mountain. Mezzo-soprano singer Sarah Wall, fiddler Mike Newport and puppeteer Ali McCaw, all backed by Chris Stones on the Famous Musical Stones of Skiddaw - gave four performances of 'Slate Song' to an array of mine visitors this weekend.

Our lithophone correspondent writes:
"The overall effect was entrancing. The performance was delivered in sections as we moved through the various tunnels and chambers. At first we were lead into a chamber known as 'Fiddler's Cavern' where in the 18th and 19th Centuries Irish fiddlers played to the slate miners to entertain them during their well-earned lunch breaks.
In this first act of 'Slate Song' we were treated to a series of folk tunes from the expert fiddler Mark Newport. This first suite of music from Mark was delivered in total darkness. The thick blackness was very affecting and allowed us to concentrate on Mark's excellent playing and the extraordinary acoustics. Mark has been inspired by tunes he has found in the Carlisle Records Offfice written down in the mid 18th century by Wigton fiddler John Barnes (no relation). It seemed exactly the right place to be hearing this music. Mark's music then provided a soundtrack to a shadow play and puppetry performance by master puppeteer Ali McCaw.
Next, the beautiful and ethereal voice of Sarah Wall lead us into a small chamber where we were treated to a psychedelic and mystical two-handed shadow play involving horseback riders, dragons and sheep! Sarah then picked up her song again to lead us to the finale. The style of Sarah's singing was inspired by Renaissance polyphonic song and the libretto was extracted from Cumbrian poet Norman Nicholson's tribute to Lake District geology: 'The Seven Rocks'.
Finally, we were lead into the massive amphitheatre-like space known as 'Cathedral Cavern' in the cold heart of the mountain. For this final act, expert shadowplay was brought together with the bell-like sound of the Famous Musical Stones of Skiddaw. Virtuoso percussionist Chris Stones from Soundwave summoned up an array of entrancing rhythmic patterns and flourishes from the antique lithophone which he supplemented with the a variety of musical shards of Honister Green Slate which he had found on the floor of the Catherdal Cavern itself.
This performance brought music back to this mountain which has been without it for so long. The performance was very affecting and I doubt if anyone in the audience will forget the uniqueness of this experience for a long time.

Mine owner Mark Weir hopes this show marks the first step toward his long-term plans to open the first underground theatre in the 'Catherdal Cavern'.

After the performance Chris Stones improvised on The Musical Stones. Part of this can be seen in the video featured below. If you would like to see more Musical Stones videos please click on this logo
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