Gogmagog Launch Night

Friday 6th July was the launch of Gogmagog. There was an amazing turnout of people, many of whom had been involved in the research and recording of the work, alongside local residents. It was great to see everyone together in Holy Trinity, and to hear their reactions to the final installation. To add to the evening, hard-hats had to be donned due to Health & Safety within the nave. Oddly, this seemed to add to the occasion, perhaps as the launch also offered the chance to experience the current faded glory of the church before conservation work begins in the autumn.

Images: Colin Davison

Holy Trinity Mix

A few days before the launch, Marty, Jordan and myself tested the recorded composition in Holy Trinity on the eight speakers. It was an exciting moment as the studio sessions were purposely recorded very 'dry' in order to make the most of the natural acoustic of the nave. Although we'd created a rough mix, the composition still had to be fully mixed across the eight audio channels on site. On first listen the piece immediately felt more alive as it reverberated around the space. We then spent a day balancing the instruments and vocals, to a point we felt it worked well - then returned the following day with fresh ears to make final changes.

Final Recording Sessions

At the end of June - with a week to go until the launch - we completed the final recording sessions. It was a busy month, with Jordan and Marty tweaking the composition and lyrics as we recorded a host of singers and choirs including: Keel Line Singers, COSMOS (formerly Sunderland City Council Choir), Rebecca Young and Eve Simpson, plus musicians playing a range of instruments from kazoo, tenor horn to violin, guitar and cello. During the final week of recording, the speakers were installed in Holy Trinity ready to test the work and create the final eight-channel mix in situ.