The mixing is done. 3 days on 17 tracks!
It was fast work and having just listened again after 24 hours ear rest I know we have it moving in the right direction. Martin Gordon did a fantastic job - 'keeping it real' and yet enhancing in a subtle way. Adrian Lee came up with some very perceptive thoughts about the overal sound image - and some neat ideas about the orchestration to help it along. Alex and I will listen again next week and take notes. Then a tweaking session later in the week with Adrian.
Having enjoyed her part in the piece, Marie Angel, who sang Geshtinanna, is hoping to set up a meeting with the Drill Hall. I think the Drill Hall would be the right venue in London to perform the piece, should we be lucky enough to attract their interest. It's a place where a lot of new work is premiered, a place with a track record for innovation, in central London (Goodge St tube), and a great acoustic. It's an odd shape - having a long and thin stage space - but I have seen that work to advantage in the past.
The standard of the soloists singing is just superb. Maria Jardardottir is really our Bjork. What a star she is! Without Maria's voice the piece would be infinitely less exciting. But there she is - holding the central character and that voice of hers - just shining - just so present, just sweet, just raw, just honest, just so sexy!
Marie Angel - touches me with her voice to the very core of my being. Her artistry and interpretation of my melodies, especially in White Bull Dying, where she sings to her dying brother Dumuzi, is just shiver inducing.
Nigel Robson is excellent as Enki, God of Wisdom - delivering just the right amount of gravitas and playfullness together.
Adey Grummet turns on the icy voice for Ereshkigal and is chilling to the bone to hear - a fair interpretation of the character who is so pained in the Netherworld. Kerry Andrew was 100% on the spot with all her chorus lines - often leading the ladies chorus rhythms and pitches with precision and drama. Steve Douse, whose voice balances between muscial theatre and opera, achieved the right level of vulnerability for Dumuzi in his singing - as well as finding the drama and dignity of the character. Michael Solomon Williams as Utu in the Nomad Song has a superb sound - so musical, so refined. And Jeremy Birchall found his way round the chorus bass lines with good humour and ressonace.
The Smith Quartet stunned, as usual, with the power and brilliance of their playing - and the rest of the ensemble - woodwind, percussion, piano, double bass and bandoneon, supported the quartet throughout with faint-worthy sight reading and musicianship.
If the lift hadn't got stuck we would easily have recorded all 19 tracks on the schedule!!! But I'm happy with 17 for now.
The whole piece has 50 tracks altogether - so you can see - it is a fair chunk of music - about one third - of the whole piece.
Ample to give a good example of the score and the differing moods the piece moves through.
It takes time to let the mixes grow on one. I don't want to rush that.
The film involved four cameras. We will be looking at the material and working on that in the second half of July when Steve Teers has his next available time to work.
I myself am shattered. Walking round in a stupour this morning. Joined the gym - again. Because if I don't have a steam and a sauna soon my body will either wilt or freeze up. So, after a year of working on the score and ignoring my physical needs in the all consuming vision and dedication to the piece - the time has now come to rebalance my lifestyle and again pay some attention to my body.
Exercise to start on monday. This weekend - steams, saunas and more steams and more saunas!!!
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