Sound of Fear: The Musical Universe of Horror

Sound of Fear: The Musical Universe of Horror

at Vision Sound Music

Date: Saturday 3 September 2011

Venue: Purcell Room and Front Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

Tickets: Part I - £10, Part II - £12.50, or Parts I & II £17.50

Website: www.visionsoundmusic.com

Produced by Sound and Music, the UK’s leading organisation for contemporary music and sound art, Sound of Fear brings together an international cast of artists, critics and composers to celebrate the music and sound design of the horror film. Part of Vision Sound Music, a three day festival celebrating the unique relationship between audio and visual cultures, the two-part event takes place on Saturday 3 September at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Through live performance and discussion, Sound of Fear explores the musical universe of horror, from its supernatural soundscapes to shrieking string arrangements. It pays tribute to the masters of musical menace, such as Bernard Hermann and John Carpenter, who have made the horror movie soundtrack such an iconic narrative device.

Two of the most famous virtuosos of the genre, composer Harry Manfredini and sound designer and composer Alan Howarth, will appear alongside a younger generation of critics, sound artists and musicians using new technologies to remix and deconstruct some of the most memorable scary movie moments. The event will be prefaced by an online interview with legendary director and composer John Carpenter, especially for Sound of Fear.

Saturday 3 September, 6.15pm

Sound of Fear: The Musical Universe of Horror Part I

Three performances celebrating the menacing effect of sound and music in horror movies.

Vicki Bennett (aka. People Like Us) presents an audio collage from over 100 features to illustrating common concepts and themes, Korean artist Lee Hangjun creates an immersive deconstruction of Hitchcock’s legendary Psycho shower scene in After Psycho Shower and John Carpenter’s closest collaborator Alan Howarth performs live selections from classic soundtracks to Halloween, Escape From New York, Assault on Precinct 13 and The Thing.

Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall,

£10 (or £17.50 combined for ticket to Parts I & II)

Saturday 3 September, 8.30pm

Sound of Fear: The Musical Universe of Horror Part II

A discussion panel comprising Friday 13^th composer Harry Manfredini, musician and author Stephen Thrower and film critic Kim Newman take the audience on an audio journey through iconic moments in the history of horror.As well as celebrating the familiar sounds of iconic blockbusters such as The Omen, Hellraiser and Friday the 13th, their presentation will pay homage to the lesser known soundtracks of movies like The Beyond, Cannibal Holocaust and The Return of The Living Dead.

This will be followed by A Musical Compendium of Horror – a new arrangement created

exclusively for Sound of Fear by the acclaimed international ensemble of soloists zeitkratzer. The 12‐strong group will draw on the entire musical gamut of traditional horror film‐score techniques, combining carefully crafted theatrical lighting and sound design, to plunge the audience into a chilling sound-world of tension, fear and unease.

Queen Elizabeth Hall

£12.50 (or £17.50 for combined ticket to Parts I&II