i am sound

I recently did a sound design for Macbeth (also known as “the Scottish play”)  at Cottiers theatre in Glasgow, directed by Lawrence Crawford for inTheatre. The show marked the 400th anniversary of the Shakespeare classic.

The Cottiers building (originally a church built in 1865) has the perfect atmosphere for the Scottish play and stunning acoustics.

The droning soundscapes I created were based around the sound of oil drums, treated and looped to become endless textures.   They were layered to create a moody backdrop that could shift between a single tone and swelling chords.  I was keen to have a contemporary feel to the music so I worked with jazz saxophinst Michael Butcher who improvised various harmonic phrases on top. I had fun playing with some interesting echo effects as he was recording.

Macbeth Preshow Soundscape – an overview of the various soundscapes in the show.

The soundtrack was brought to life by the Glasgow Gaelic Musical Association (conducted by Kenny Thomson) who I recorded singing various chords and phrases. Eilidh Davies of the GGMA is also a wonderful clàrsach player and I recorded some of her beautiful playing for the preshow music and banquet scene.

The theme for the “weyward sisters” was based around a little celtic melody that actor Anne Lothian had been humming in rehearsals.   Anne has a beautiful voice and the effect of her voice multitracked through “endless” reverb was quite ethereal.

The Weyward Sisters soundscape.