New audio trail 'Planted Symphony' to launch in gardens of England

Planted Symphony, a piece Hale was working on before she died, has been reimagined as an audio trail.

Commissioned by Drake Music, the symphony is fully accessible through smartphones and will be touring to Milton Keynes International Festival, Inside Out in Dorset, and Waltham Forest this summer.

Planted Symphony tells the tale of Lagether, a herbalist who calls upon the natural world to help her heal, grow and be transformed. Using GPS, the music will automatically play into visitors headphones as they move through the garden trails.

Each movement will have an accompanying installation by Jon Van Beek including a giant welcome mat and wicker huts for solo journeys accompanied by a clarinet. 

The music features Mi.Mu Gloves, a new instrument of wearable technology that uses gesture recognition to play sounds.

Deaf musician and composer Sonia Allori discovered a new way to remotely record her clarinet, using a haptic metronome for the first time instead of using visual and physical cues from other musicians. Because of the pandemic, the musicians all had to record their parts separately from home with the music brought together in the studio in post-production. Accessibility has been a key part of the creative process including building audio descriptions for visually impaired people into the narration.

Carien Meijer, chief executive of Drake Music said: 'The Planted Symphony audio trail is a beautiful and immersive way to experience music in nature. As you walk or roll along with the installations you hear a musical story of transformation and wonder. It takes you on a journey outdoors in nature and an inner journey of growth and healing which is much needed at this moment in time. The team have brought their considerable talents together, mixing composition, synths, new music tech, poetry, set design and more to create a truly magical experience.'

Planted Symphony is premiering at Milton Keynes International Festival in July and touring to Dorset and Waltham Forest in September. An interactive online version of the audio trail will be available on the Drake Music website after the tour finishes in September.

More information can be found here.