Listen out for the bells on Saturday 16 May 2009 at Noon.
‘Imagine’ A live performance – 16th May @ High Noon, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. Artist / Producer: Cleo Evans
A Futuresonic Festival Commission: http://www.futuresonic.com/
Rehearsals for the world premiere interpretation of John Lennon’s anthem ‘Imagine’, to be performed on May 16th on the bells of Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral are progressing well. The man tasked with arranging and conducting the performance, part of the North West Futuresonic Arts Festival, is 23 year old Cathedral ringer Sam Austin who is also currently a student at Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music. He says his team of seven volunteer bell ringers have now graduated from playing the melody on hand-bells to the Cathedral’s legendary church bells.
The original idea to ring out Imagine on church bells came from site specific artist Cleo Evans, who was subsequently commissioned by the Futuresonic festival to develop the concept in partnership with the Cathedral. She said: “Imagine is an incredibly gentle, philosophical and moving song which speaks strongly of the need for peace. It is an iconic song, here performed in a thought provoking and surprising setting. This performance provides a way of engaging with completely new audiences and participants; the people in the city who stumble across this piece as it is being performed; congregations and visitors to the cathedral, and the change ringers performing this contextually challenging work.”