2019 sees the celebration of Sir James MacMillan's 60th birthday. One of the leading composers of our time, MacMillan comes to Belgium this november for an exceptional concert series with the Vlaams Radiokoor, in which he will conduct his own music. For this occassion, photographer and sound designer Stef Van Alsenoy created soundscapes and cloud sequences. Experience this vocal and visual spectacle lying down, standing or simply sitting around the choir.

Paired with two Misereres – the iconic Allegri version and the contemporary one by MacMillan – composer and conductor MacMillan releases the seven angels of the Apocalyps in his new composition Seven Angels: a theatrical work in seven episodes featuring a challenging vocal score and unusual instruments such as the shofar, a ram's horn. The Vlaams Radiokoor invites the audience to lie down, or hang or simply sit around the singers: you get to choose how and where your want to experience the vocal and visual power of this concert.

acoustic backdrop

Silence is the most beautiful sound - then comes the voice. That is the Vlaams Radiokoor motto. From the silence before the concert and in between the musical works, soundscapes sprout up from that peace and reflection. For this occasion, Stef Van Alsenoy created special recordings of the Vlaams Radiokoor: "First I recorded the four voice groups. Those layers are edited, slowed down and reconstructed into a continuous, ever evolving surround soundscape that very clearly carries the tone colour of the choir. Long after the music has disappeared, it is a slow sound cloud that remains. Thus the soundscape is not meant to be a new musical composition, but more so an acoustic decor that seemlessly connects to the choral works."

“The soundscape is not meant to be a new musical composition, but more so an acoustic backdrop that seemlessly connects to the choral works.”
- stef van alsenoy

clouds & sounds

The music clouds are also represented visually: Stef Van Alsenoy created cloud imagery that will be visually integrated with the singers of the Radiokoor thanks to large LED screens. The clouds he shows are an integral part of the concert: "The three works on this programme are very different – the contemplative Misereres of Allegri and MacMillan are a stark contrast to the eclectic, at moments overwhelming Seven Angels. And so the choice of the cloud sequences for each work is strongly influenced by that diverse sonority. Slow and broad altoculumus clouds for the Miserere, frail minimalstic cirrus clouds, strange lenticularis mountain clouds and threatening monsoon for Seven Angels,” explains Van Alsenoy.

www.stefvanalsenoy.com

Info concert