PRESS RELEASE HMS Victory inspires new musical composition

The National Museum of the Royal Navy has commissioned the composer and recording Artist Marvin Ayres to record a suite of four movements to reflect the Royal Navy on the sea, under the sea, in the air and on the land.

Each movement will be recorded in a significant Naval location, to reflect the four forces of the Royal Navy.

The ‘On the sea’ movement will be recorded on HMS Victory where Admiral Nelson lost his life during the Battle of Trafalgar.

The ‘Under the sea’ movement will be recorded inside the WW2 submarine HMS Alliance at the Submarine Museum in Gosport.

The ‘In the Air’ movement will be recorded within the hangars of the in Yeovilton and the ‘On the Land’ movement will be recorded in the vaults of the Museum in .

Marvin Ayres, who studied composition and cello at Trinity College London, has a most unusual method of recording.

“Imagine recording a musical note along with its sustained echo and then deleting the original note. What you are left with is a unique echo moulded by the acoustics, reverberations and spirit of the place where the note was recorded.”

“I choose locations with a unique sense of character and history to inspire my composition and performance. I reawaken the dormant spirit residing in these unlikely locations”, he said.

The recordings within the Submarine Museum and the Fleet Air Arm Museum took place in March and the recording on HMS Victory will take place during the evening of 13th June, followed later in the year by the recording in the Royal Marines Museum.

Says Professor Dominic Tweddle, Director General of the National Museum of the Royal Navy “The music is unusual. It has no obvious beginning middle and end. Our intention is to create a unique ‘sound-scape’ which evokes the spirit of the Naval history from operating on and under the sea, to operating in the air and on the land.”

As well as being a musician, composer, and recording artist, Marvin Ayres was a founding member of the band The Government, and made contributions to Culture Club, Simply Red and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. He is currently working with Martyn Ware (Heaven 17/Human League) on the new B.E.F album 'Dark' being released on EMI later this year.

For more information about Marvin Ayres: www.marvinayres.com / www.thesacredspaces.tumblr.com