A fascinating new video album will be released by Métier comprising new music for silent films by Ed Hughes. Métier has worked with Hughes before on a chamber/vocal disc (Dark Formations, MSV 28530) as well as an opera disc (When the Flame Dies, MSV 77203), both to critical acclaim. Hughes has written new scores for many classic films and this new collection includes music for ‘A Voyage to the Moon’ (1902) and the surrealist ‘The Nose’ (1963) as well as incidental music to accompany RAF and Imperial War Museum footage from the 1940s. The catalyst for the project was however a commission from the City of Brighton (UK) to produce a 45-minute orchestral score as part of the Brighton Festival’s 50th anniversary in 2016. The score was to accompany a new silent film ‘Brighton: Symphony of a City’ by Lizzie Thynne – a portrait of everyday Brighton but with historic archive clips referencing the past.

This is an eclectic mix of fascinating visual material bound together by the excellent compositional skills of Hughes.

Due for release in February 2018 (Métier MSVDX 203 – DVD format in universal play). The audio version “soundtrack” will also be issued simultaneously as a digital-only album (MSV 50801).