The Battleof the Sommeby Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell

The original 1916 film

7 October 2016 Falkirk Town Hall

Film screening with live orchestral performance by Falkirk Tryst OrchestraConducted by Robert Tait

Music Composed by Laura Rossi, commissioned by the Imperial War Museums

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In 2015, Falkirk Community Trust and Falkirk Tryst Orchestra began to discuss the feasibility of presenting The Battle of Somme (1916) with live orchestral accompaniment as part of the Somme 100 Film initiative. Over the subsequent months, we worked together to develop the event and we are pleased to present this evenings programme. We are delighted also that we have been able to include a special performance for schools as part of the programme earlier in the week.

The Falkirk area’s contribution to the First World War centenary commemorations has been for the most part delivered as part of the Memorial, Reflection and Restoration initiative, established by Falkirk Community Trust, on behalf of Falkirk Council, to encourage the development and delivery of a range of events, exhibitions, projects and activities between 2014-18.

Our area has approached the centenary respectfully and the civic response to this most significant point in history has been very positive. The connection that our event tonight makes across nations with the other 99 amateur orchestras that will (between July 2016 and July 2017) be performing Laura Rossi’s score alongside the film is in itself a tremendous mark of respect to those who have given their lives in war.

We hope that, whilst the spirit of this evenings’ performance will be understandably reflective – the skill, passion and commitment of the orchestra alongside the significance of the event will be uplifting.

Thank you for your attendance.

Ian ScottChairFalkirk Community Trust

Introduction

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Falkirk Tryst Orchestra is privileged to take part in this commemoration of the Battle of the Somme. There are to be 100 showings of this film, throughout the UK and further afield, during this centenary year, with live orchestral accompaniment. This is the first of five performances scheduled to take place in Scotland.

It is difficult to comprehend the scale of this battle and the magnitude of the loss of life. Members of families across the country including Falkirk and indeed, the families of orchestra members, took part in the battle. My own grandfather served there with The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Fortunately, he survived the battle uninjured, but was shot and invalided home from the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. Lots of your families will have a story of a relative passed down through several generations and many with a less fortunate outcome. Traditionally, the Tryst Orchestra dedicate our Autumn concert to charity. Our chosen charity this year is Erskine who have been caring for veterans since 1916. As you leave this evening, you will have the opportunity to make a donation to Erskine.

My sincere thanks go to all those who have worked to make this event possible. Finally I would like to thank you for coming. I am sure that you will have a very moving and thought provoking evening.

John PatersonPresident, Falkirk Tryst Orchestra

A Welcome from the Falkirk Tryst Orchestra PresidentGood evening and welcome to this very special occasion.

It is a great honour to conduct the performance for tonight’s screening of the Battle of the Somme (1916) with music commissioned by the Imperial War Museum from composer, Laura Rossi. Myself and the orchestra have a great sense of responsibility in that this is the first screening in Scotland with the live music.

This has been a major undertaking for Falkirk Tryst Orchestra and I am grateful to them for the additional rehearsals they have attended to bring this event to fruition. I would also like to thank the joint steering committee made up of representatives from Falkirk Tryst Orchestra and Falkirk Community Trust for all the work they have done behind the scenes.

We hope you appreciated the playing of piper, Neil Clark, who set the scene as you arrived for tonight’s performance and I know that you will be moved by the story of his bagpipes.

Preparing and rehearsing a new work is always a challenge. It asks questions and poses problems, not the least for the conductor working with a click track (hence the head phones in case you think I have become deaf!). However, Laura’s score was very clear and the end result was a fitting accompaniment to a moving film.

I hope you will be pleased with tonight’s performance.

Robert TaitConductor, Falkirk Tryst Orchestra

A Message from the Conductor

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Programme

Welcome

Ian Scott – Chair, Falkirk Community Trust

Provost Pat Reid, Falkirk Council

Guest Speakers

Laura Rossi, Composer

Dr Toby Haggith, Imperial War Museums

The Battle of the Somme (1916)

Part 1 – Preparations for the Battle

Part 2 – The Evening before the Great Advance

Interval

The Battle of the Somme (1916)

Part 3 – The Attack

Part 4 – Battle Scenes

Part 5 – The Day After the Battle

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Shot and screened in 1916, The Battle of the Somme was the first feature length documentary about war. In the first three months of its release the film was seen by around 20 million people in Britain and Ireland, informing and challenging the public with its images of warfare and changing the way both cinema and film was perceived.

The film was shot by just two cameramen - Geoffrey Malins and J B McDowell. Filming took place between 25 June and 9 July 1916, covering the build-up and opening stages of the Battle of the Somme. The film is definitely a propaganda film, though it is filmed and presented in the style of a documentary and was made in response to a real desire from the British public for news of and images from the battlefront. It was created to rally civilian support, particularly for the production of munitions and British soldiers are portrayed as well-fed, respectful to prisoners and well-looked after.

The structure of the film is simple. The first two reels cover the preparations for the infantry attack, the third reel covers the attack on the 1 July 1916 and the next two, the aftermath of the battle. Anticipating the desire of the audience to spot their loved ones, the cameramen captured as many faces as possible, often encouraging the men to turn and acknowledge the camera. The inter-titles, written by the War Office, are a crucial element of the film. They provide commentary, point out important details, guide the audience to an appropriate response, reinforce propaganda messages, and reassure the viewer. Some scenes such as the ‘over the top’ sequence are now understood to have been staged. However, historians estimate that overall only 90 seconds of the film was staged. An estimated 13% of

the film depicts images of wounded or dead soldiers including some distressing images of communal graves. The depiction of British dead is unique to this film in the history of British non-fiction cinema. Despite the depiction of death and injury throughout the film, the overall feeling remains that the Battle of the Somme was a military success.

The first major screening of the film took place on 10 August 2016 and continued to be distributed for at least five months afterwards. By October 1916, the film had received around 20 million admissions – the UK population at the time was 43 million.

The Battle of the Somme was filmed on the front line at great personal danger to the cameramen and offered audiences a unique, almost tangible link to their family members on the battlefront. Contemporary reactions to the film varied greatly; some members of the public thought the scenes of the dead were disrespectful or voyeuristic. There was debate in the newspapers and at least one cinema manager refused to show it but most people believed it was their duty to see the film and experience the ‘reality’ of warfare.

The Imperial War Museum took ownership of the film in 1920 and in 2002 undertook digital restoration of the surviving elements. A new orchestral score was commissioned from Laura Rossi in 2005 and the film was listed on UNESCO’s ‘Memory of the World’ register – one of the first films, and the first British document of any kind, to be listed.

For further information about the Battle of the Somme or Imperial War Museums please visit www.iwm.org.uk

An Introduction to The Battle of the Somme Dr Toby Haggith, Imperial War Museums

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Laura Rossi’s new score was commissioned to mark the 90th anniversary of The Battle of the Somme as a soundtrack for the digitally restored film. When embarking on her research on the film and the battle in preparation for her composition, Laura discovered her great uncle, Fred Ainge, (whom she knew as he survived the war) was a stretcher-bearer attached to the 29th Division on 1 July 1916. In preparation for composing the new score she visited the Somme Battlefields, using Fred’s diaries to locate the areas in which he served. The re- mastered film was screened for the 90th anniversary of the Battle to a full house at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London with the premiere of Laura’s orchestral score, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Laura Rossi has written music extensively for film and television, including the critically acclaimed London to Brighton, The Eichmann Show, starring Martin Freeman and Anthony LaPaglia and Song for Marion, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp.

She has also scored many silent films including the British Film Institute’s Silent Shakespeare and the famous IWM 1916 films The Battle of the Ancre and The Battle of the Somme.

Her latest work Voices of Remembrance is a choral/ orchestral work featuring war poems read by Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave. The music was commissioned by Boosey and Hawkes to mark the Centenary of the First World War.

Laura’s music has been recorded and performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Musici Orchestra, London Contemporary Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Her works have been performed at the Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. Laura is also lecturer for film music at the London Film Academy.

More information is available on Laura’s website www.laurarossi.com

The MusicComposed by Laura Rossi

1st Violin Cello Oboe EuphoniumAlistair Watson (Leader) Pamela Adamson Bryan Allan Jim Mccafferty

Gerard Grattan Jane Crichton Wilma Boyd

Janine Inman Janet Foulkes Anna McGregor TromboneJenny Kennedy Sandra Hill-Smith John Paterson

Andy Rodden Tony Mitchell Clarinet Alma Cadzow

Ian Rogers Annett Schmautz Alastair Stenhouse

Andy Sharp Kathryn Grainger Bass Trombone

Double Bass Esther Rue Bob Adamson

2nd Violin Robin Foulkes Catherine Smith

Liz Wallis Ali Macqueen TubaEmma Agnew Ruth Rintoul Bassoon Alex Gregory

Gordon Bell Crawford Gordon

Kathleen Breslin Flute Claire Cowie* TimpaniIain McDonald Barbara Collie Moira Grant

Eileen Peebles Sally Boa French HornMorag Sparkes Shirley-Anne Chance Will Hensman Percussion

Meg Carroll Marco Marzella Joy Smith

Viola Will Gold Fiona Addison Hazel Smith

Richard Watson Claire Holland Sandeep Khutan*

Hannah Fisher Charlotte Macdonald TrumpetHarry Payne Claire Milner Steven Gray* HarpArchie Smith Kirsty Purdom Alistair Nealy* Sharron Griffiths*

Keith Wagstaff Mike Keenan

*indicates guest player

Falkirk Tryst OrchestraConductor: Robert Tait

Falkirk Tryst Orchestra Committee:

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John Paterson: President

Wilma Boyd: Treasurer

Liz Wallis: Secretary

Anna McGregor: Secretary

Tony Mitchell: Librarian

Richard Watson: Concert Manager

Archie SmithMorag SparkesAlistair WatsonBryan Allan

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On arrival at this evenings’ event you were greeted by the wonderful bagpipe playing of Neil Clark.

Neil brought the set of pipes that he was playing a couple of years ago. When one of his pupils noticed a name and address on the inside of the box that the pipes were kept in, he began to uncover the fascinating story of this particular set.

The pipes were bought in Glasgow in 1908 by a member of the Pipe Band of the Atholl Highlanders (who in 1914 became the Pipes and Drums of the Scottish Horse). It is known that the pipes were played in Gallipoli in 1915 and then Salonika (where the Pipes and Drums of the Scottish Horse became the 13th Batallion of the Black Watch) before arriving in the Somme area.

The pipes and the pipe case are linked to the names of two soldiers, Bob Kettles (the original purchaser) and James Ferguson (the name on the inside of the case). It is feasible that both men would have known each other before and during the war.

Ferguson ‘died from wounds received in action’ in October 1917 but Kettles survived the war. Who actually owned and, perhaps more significantly, played the pipes at the Battle of the Somme remains unclear at present. However, there is one thing that Neil is sure about - they are one of the most beautiful and best sounding sets of pipes he has ever heard.

Neil Clark’s Bagpipes – The Story

As Scotland’s foremost provider of care for veterans and their spouses, Erskine offer nursing, residential, respite and dementia care in their four homes throughout Scotland for UK veterans.

Erskine’s strength lies in the very special blend of dedicated care, compassion and understanding they offer to residents and

their families. They care for over 1000 residents each year and their homes provide veterans with the companionship of like-minded people.

If you would like to support Erskine or are looking for further information about the organisation, please visit www.erskine.org.uk or phone 0141 812 1100.

About Erskine

Join us for carols old and new, carols for all to join in and orchestral pieces.

Falkirk Caledonia Choir, Falkirk Festival Chorus and Falkirk Tryst Orchestra

join together for their 34th annual Christmas Concert under the direction of Robert Tait.

Guest Soloist: Sasha Savaloni, Guitar.

FTH (Falkirk Town Hall) West Bridge Street,

Falkirk FK15RS

Sunday 18 December 2016 2.30pm & 7pm

Tickets £12/£10 conc/children £4 Tickets available from

www.falkirkcommunitytrust.org 01324 506850

ł.airns

Dhristmas

Join the OrchestraThe Falkirk Tryst Orchestra is always looking for individuals who play instruments. If you’ve taken some time off and are looking to get back into music or find practice at home isn’t the same as being in a full orchestra, please get in touch.

Any questions about membership can be directed to the email below.

More information and membership applications are available on our website at:www.falkirktrystorchestra.org.uk

Alternatively, please send your name, address, phone number, email, instruments played and any grade levels to the Orchestra Secretary:

Anna McGregor 20 North Street Stirling FK9 5NBftosecretary@gmail.com

“It is a funny thing but, when I am making music, all the answers I seek for in life seem to be there, in the music, or rather, I should say, when I am making music there are no questions and no need for answers”

Gustav Mahler

AcknowledgementsFalkirk Community Trust and Falkirk Tryst Orchestra are pleased to have worked together on this event. They have drawn from and acknowledge the expertise, enthusiasm and assistance of the staff, volunteers and members of their own and eachothers’ organisations. In addition they are grateful for the support and assistance of the following:

The Imperial War Museums and Somme 100 Film teamsFalkirk Trinity ChurchFalkirk Council Children’s Services

This event forms part of Somme 100 FILM, an international project bringing together 100 live orchestral performances of the IWM film The Battle of the Somme, to mark the 100th anniversary of the battle. www.Somme100film.com

For more information about First World War Centenary Partnership activities visit www.1914.org

Falkirk Community Trust gratefully acknowledges the support of Falkirk Council

FTH (Falkirk Town Hall)West Bridge StreetFalkirkFK1 5RS

www.falkirkcommunitytrust.org

/FCTrust @FalkirkCultural

Falkirk Community Trust is a registered charity no. SC042403

SAVE THE DATE!Wednesday 22 - Sunday 26 March 2017

P r o g r a m m e l a u n c h e s 7 F e b r u a ry 2 0 1 7

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