Hundreds of spectators crowded onto cliffs in the northeast of England earlier today to watch a musical performance celebrating the foghorn. The event, held at Souter lighthouse in South Shields, England was called ‘Foghorn Requiem’. It was written by Orlando Gough and was performed by three brass bands, an armada of ships that were positioned offshore and the Souter Lighthouse Foghorn. It was conducted and controlled from shore with the ships sounding their foghorns to the musical score. The idea was that the piece of music would would take into account the landscape and the physical distance of sound. The piece was performed live to audiences on the coastal cliffs and played across a space of several miles around Souter Lighthouse.
A woman waits on a hillside at the start of the ‘Foghorn Requiem’
Orlando Gough, the composer of ‘Foghorn Requiem’, poses for a picture in front of Souter Lighthouse
Musicians wait for the start of the ‘Foghorn Requiem’ at Souter Lighthouse in South Shields
Spectators sit and watch the performance of ‘Foghorn Requiem’ at Souter Lighthouse
A woman gets a closer view of the ships out at sea during the performance
An artist paints the scene at the ‘Foghorn Requiem’ in South Shields
Steven Symons, a cornet player with the NASUWT Riverside Band from Chester le Street plays solo at the top of Souter lighthouse during the performance
Steven Symons, a cornet player with the NASUWT Riverside Band from Chester le Street plays solo at the top of Souter lighthouse during the performance
The DFDS ferry Princess Seaways sits out at sea during the performance of the ‘Foghorn Requiem’
The band plays with musical accompaniment from the foghorns on-board the ships and yachts out at sea during the ‘Foghorn Requiem’
A spectator cups his hands over his ears to catch all the sounds of the foghorns during the performance
The performance of ‘Foghorn Requiem’ at Souter Lighthouse near South Shields
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