thirty-one made its public debut in the foyer of the Hoffman Building at Snape Maltings, Suffolk – the home of Aldeburgh Music – during September 2010.
The 63 aluminium chimes, each 2″ in diameter, were suspended in an array from the roof beams of the space: a position they occupied for two weeks during Stuart’s residency with Aldeburgh Music. During the weekend of 26th/27th September 2010, five musicians joined Stuart to perform a new work.
The instrument was installed on Monday 20th September 2010. Dominic Martin had previously worked with Gordon Soames and Jay Catchpole to fabricate the aluminium tubes to Stuart’s specifications. Using mathematical formulas relating pitch frequency to tube size, Stuart had derived the 31-tone equal temperament system used for tuning the instrument.
During the following week, workshops took place with Stuart as part of Aldeburgh Music Education’s outreach programme. These involved primary school children and young adults with autism.
Aldeburgh Music commissioned a piece from Stuart (Genus 1) which was scheduled to be performed over the weekend of September 26th/27th. This was part of Aldeburgh Music’s Open Weekend which coincided with, and formed part of, the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival 2010.
The World premiere of Genus 1 took place at 11am on Saturday 25th September 2010. The piece was performed by Gordon Soames, Chantelle Love, Phillippa Cairns, Julie Tyler and Simon Voulstaker. The score, projected onto 2 large LCD screens, was conducted by Stuart Stevens. The event was attended by special guests and members of the public. Guest of Honour was Councillor Jane Chambers, Mayor of the Borough of Ipswich, who was accompanied by Councillor Veronica Falconer, Chair of Suffolk Coastal District Council.
Four further performances took place over the weekend, each followed by an opportunity for audience members to try the chimes for themselves.
The installation was in place until 4th October 2010.
