Cheltenham Festivals Recommended Composer Brings His Music Home

The collaborative producers of Stuck in the Mud, GDance, Ballet Cymru and National Trust asked Meurig Bowen at Cheltenham Music Festival to recommend a composer to create an original score for the show.

Jack White, an up-and-coming composer, winner of the Welsh Livery Guild music award and shortlisted composer for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales Welsh Composer Showcase was his suggestion.

“We were ecstatic with the music he created for the show. The music is like a lead character in the show. It moves with the dancers and the moods of the show giving it energy and pathos. It is energetic when it needs to be and haunting when it needs to be” Fiona Nevada – GDance Marketing Manager

How it came about from Jack's perspective;

"Cheltenham Music Festival contacted me initially. They described the work as a large-scale dance piece working with GDance, Ballet Cymru and a team of professional dancers.  They introduced Marc Brew (the Artistic director) to me and I had a Skype-interview with him.  Marc was interested in the ideas I had for the project, and also whether stylistically my music would fit the project.  I could see that Marc would be a great person to work with, and that he had a very clear idea of what he wanted for the project.  In my eyes, these were good things since I would be relying on him to guide the sort of music he wanted for the piece.  Upon learning about Marc’s impressive professional career, I also wanted to learn as much as I could from him about the world of dance."

Of working for Stuck in the Mud Jack says,

“It has been a brilliant experience working with the team.  It is the first time that I have worked directly with a choreographer and dancers.  I have been given a window into the processes undertaken to create a work in a completely different artistic discipline.

Since this was essentially music to fit someone else’s overall idea, the process was different to ‘free-composition’.  I was working with timing and tempo issues to consider and making sure that the ‘mood’ of each piece suited.  Mostly this was straightforward since Marc was able to communicate what he wanted very clearly.  The system we ended up employing was one where I would provide a rough piano-sketch of each section.  Marc would then approve it or ask for changes.    

On the tour to Newport 12 & 13 November;

"I am very excited to have my music performed in Newport.  Primarily for my friends and family to be able to come and see the work but also because it will be the first time that Ballet Cymru perform using my music in our homeland - so that will be a very cool!

Born and bred in Newport, I have been involved in music in Newport in many different ways so it’s nice to have my own music available to audiences here for the first time.  

It is a step in the right direction (for Newport Market) to be using the space in a creative way. There is a lot of pressure on cultural services at the moment and I feel strongly opposed to anything which removes or weakens people’s connection with their own culture.  I am therefore very glad to be able to use Newport Market as a cultural space and hope that it will inspire more creative thinking, and inspire new generations of Welsh dancers and musicians.”

Find out more about Stuck in the Mud at www.newport.gov.uk/discoverdance or http://bit.ly/2minMovieSITM
http://bit.ly/SITMScore