Nov 18, 20181 min
Updated: Jul 14, 2023
Bristol Symphony Orchestra
The Battle of the Somme Concert
Film screening with live orchestra
Clifton Cathedral
See the iconic 1916 silent film by Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell, with composer Laura Rossi’s acclaimed orchestral score performed live by Bristol Symphony Orchestra, conducted by William Goodchild.
To mark the centenary of the end of The Battle of the Somme, Bristol Symphony Orchestra in partnership with Clifton Cathedral, Imperial War Museums(IWM) and Somme 100 Film, presented this extraordinary and moving UNESCO-listed historical film with live music, in the striking surroundings of Clifton Cathedral.
The Battle of the Ancre
Concert Tour
Friday 9 November 2018
Redland Hall, Bristol
The Battle of the Ancre
Composed by Laura Rossi
Bristol Ensemble
Conducted by William Goodchild
Laura Rossi’s score performed live to the 1916 silent film, The Battle of the Ancre.
The Battle of the Ancre is the official film of the British Army’s autumn campaign on the Somme, which ran from September to November 2016. The film contains haunting images of trench warfare, the waves of troops advancing into no man’s land, the use of horses and first views of the ‘tank’ – the secret weapon, which it was hoped would break the military deadlock on the Western Front.
In 2012, the Imperial War Museum commissioned Laura Rossi to compose music in five movements to accompany the film. Bristol Ensemble and conductor William Goodchild perform this beautiful score live to picture as part of the Remembrance Commemorations taking place in Bristol, November 2018.