Evelyn’s reflections on the filming of ‘Touch the Sound’
Any project related to listening never has a ‘use by’ date. The award-winning documentary, Touch the Sound, directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer, is a case in point. This film transmits the message that our world is a huge orchestra for which we are all integral players of the score. The opportunity and willingness to open all our senses to augment our listening truly adds immense depth and colour to our existence.
Evelyn playing a snare drum, during the August 2004 Edinburgh Film Festival, where Touch the Sound had its UK film premiere, along with a photo of the outfit she was wearing
The making of Touch the Sound took about two years, for which a large part involved fitting film shoots around my existing global tour dates. Material was filmed in the UK, mainland Europe, East and West USA, and Japan. Thankfully, the crew was small and tight-knit. This meant relatively low-maintenance travel arrangements and my particular instrument requirements were also low-key, because the focus was on paying attention to the resonance of the environment rather than constant performance.
Evelyn with the crew during some on-location filming in Santa Cruz, California 2002, and a detail of the jacket sleeve
Rain or shine, filming took place. Our filming at Grand Central Station, New York, happened very soon after the atrocity of 9/11. To stand in the middle of this iconic station, playing a snare drum solo (incidentally, one of my favourite pieces, Áskell Másson’s Prim) was no mean feat, especially for the crew due to the understandably tight security. We were allowed one attempt at filming this sequence before being ushered out of the station.
It was a remarkable experience at that moment to see the body-language of people looking upwards to feel the vibration of the station as the snare drum was being played, and a great example of engaging with this beautiful space in such a surprising way.
Evelyn [top/left photo] playing a waterphone, and [bottom/right photo] looking up at the balconies, on location at the Guggenheim Museum, New York
As well as the snare drum being an integral instrument in my musical journey, the waterphone too has always been special. To explore its resonance at the Guggenheim Museum in New York was unbelievable: people were leaning over the interior balconies on the varying levels of the building to touch the sound. As with the snare drum, a single object can transform a space if we allow ourselves to listen.
Evelyn trying her hand at archery, during the filming of Touch the Sound, in the UK
There were some unlikely moments such as trying my hand at Archery and Kendo. So why were these relevant to the documentary filming (although they didn’t make the final cut)? The precision, sound and feel throughout the body in executing both disciplines can take years to master and in consulting with experts in each field, it was remarkable how much they mentioned listening – listening to their body, listening to the equipment, listening to the environment around them, their targets or opponents, listening to the moment of release, contact and impact, and much more.
One of the many highlights was sharing a New York roof-top with Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez. It was a scorching hot, windy day with the grime and noise of down-town construction surrounding us, not to mention our fair share of bird poo! Having been such a fan of Horacio’s playing, I couldn’t quite believe that our first musical encounter together would be in quite these surroundings.
Evelyn [top/left photo] reflected in metal whilst [bottom/right photo] sharing a New York roof-top with Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez
The success of any collaboration begins with respect for those you are working with, and I felt so blessed to be participating in a project that consisted of such a talented team. Of course, the sound technicians were absolutely integral due to the nature of the film, however, Thomas’ vision and wonderfully calm manner produced a documentary which is still as fresh today in its approach and meaning twenty-two years later.
Evelyn
Touch the Sound: A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie.
Based on Evelyn’s remarkable story, this award-winning documentary by Thomas Riedelsheimer explores the connections between perception, time, sound and rhythm.
We stock both ‘Touch the Sound‘ on DVD, and the CD recording of ‘The Sugar Factory‘ – an entirely improvised album with Fred Frith, part of which was filmed and included within Touch the Sound – in our shop.
View on YouTube:
Touch the Sound is also available on NetFlix.
A note on the photos included in the article above:
Unless otherwise noted, all of these artefacts – from photos to clothing and jewellery – form part of The Evelyn Glennie Collection. The Collection is open for small tours by appointment and you can find out more through the dedicated Collection page at The Evelyn Glennie Foundation website.
