Gresford Dark Horizons
Gresford Dark Horizons
In September 2024, 90 years will have passed since the fateful disaster at Gresford Colliery. The explosion that tore through the Dennis section of the mine remains to this day one of the worst coal mining disasters in British history. Much has happened since the terrible events of 22 September 1934 with most of the mining and heavy industry in North Wales all but disappeared and only memorials to this heritage left to remind us of the people who toiled for our collective prosperity.
Live Concert Recording of Gresford Dark Horizons Premiere by NEW Sinfonia, Young Musicians from North Wales and North Wales Music Service Tutors at the NWIMF 2023.
For such an anniversary of a piece of our history to pass without a moment of reflection would be remiss. This new piece is the ‘Overture’ of my journey into the creation of a new dramatic work to tell the story of those who descended the shafts of Gresford and worked the coal face in pursuit of black gold.
The piece is split into three sections beginning with horns blaring in the distance calling the workers, or in this case musicians, to the stage to begin descending down into the dark depths. Harsh percussive clangs jar against the relentless march that takes the musicians down into an intense and claustrophobic atmosphere.
The unyielding monotony is suddenly obliterated by an explosion in the percussion and a chaotic clamouring in the winds and high strings. Underneath the mayhem, the focus shifts to the prayerful lament of the trapped miners who hope of rescue. The music here references the Gresford Miners’ Hymn composed by miner Robert Saint after the disaster in 1934. The music slowly begins to fade with the musicians departing the stage one by one until the last musician runs out of breadth and we are left in darkness.
