Soundscape

Working on the Judaism soundscape afforded me another opportunity to journey into the sounds of a faith and culture that was new to me - in particular, Shabbat, and its importance to the Jewish faith. Visiting the Synagogue in Radlett was richly rewarding for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Synagogue itself provided a fantastic and reverb-rich space which allowed me to record the songs from a simple Shabbat service on a Friday night in a wonderful and wide sounding environment.

The relative small size of the Friday night congregation meant that the instruments and voices in song had an intimate feel to them, even as they echoed around

the large chamber. Similarly, the small Shabbat meal afterwards was alive with the sound of chatter, as plates were filled and food was shared, and the smaller room provided a closer feel.

In contrast again, the large and busy Saturday morning service provided much grander and richer tones, sonically, as a full congregation came together in song and prayer. This was exciting to record and gave great texture to the section and beyond. Additionally, the opportunity to listen to and record people connected to and working within the Synangogue - in particular Rabbi DY, who was always so helpful and generous with his time - meant that a whole host of stories,

descriptions and teachings from the Jewish faith were available to me, as I came to put the final soundscape together. The different elements I was able to gather allowed me to play with space within the soundscape, to give it a sense of journey, and the music and song I discovered and was exposed to, during the field recordings in Radlett, informed the music I then composed to facilitate that space, and hopefully add to the overall experience.

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Anthony Davey, Sound Artist

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Soundscape starts 30:15 to the end 

See the podcast link at the top of the page