84 – City of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, Conducted by Steve Bingham
Date – 17th June 2017, 7:30 pm
Venue – Voyager Concert Hall, Peterborough, PE4 6HX
THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME in the centenary tour with live orchestral music
The City of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra are playing a new score live with the film of The Battle of the Somme on Saturday, June 17, 7.30pm, at the Voyager Academy.
The Battle of the Somme remains one of the most successful British films ever made. The film was made by British official cinematographers, Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell. The Battle of the Somme gave its 1916 audience an unprecedented insight into the realities of trench warfare, controversially including the depiction of wounded and dead soldiers. British-born Laura Rossi has written the score.
From 6.30pm there will be a pre-concert talk by historian Roger Smither, former keeper of the Imperial War Museum’s Film and Video Archive and Research Assistant at IWM until 2016. The museum was responsible for the restoration the film. There will also be an exhibition of WW1 memorabilia and photographs
6.15pm Exhibition open to all Teas and coffees available
6.30pm Pre-concert talk in Atrium by historian Roger Smither
7pm Concert hall doors open – 7.30pm Film with orchestral soundtrack
8.45pm Film ends Exhibition remains open
Join us in the atrium for a glass of wine or soft drink after the film 9.30pm Finish
Roger Smither
I am the former Keeper of the Imperial War Museum’s Film and Video Archive (retired 2010, though I remained linked to IWM as a Research Associate until December 2016) and was in that post when IWM undertook the restoration of the film ‘The Battle of the Somme’ and commissioned Laura Rossi’s score for it; I also initiated the procedure to have the film inscribed on UNESCO’s ‘Memory of the World’ register. I have published a few articles about ‘Battle of the Somme’ and other First World War films and am the voice on the commentary soundtrack on IWM’s DVD release of the restored BOTS film.
Audience feedback
My family and I went to see the Battle of the Somme film yesterday as played by the Peterborough Symphony orchestra.
I must say it was an amazing evening. The film is incredibly detailed and moving but your soundtrack made so much more emotive.
I hope this make sense but we found we forgot that we were watching a silent movie because the music was so fitting with the images.
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Gallery
