Mark R. Bannister
Orchestral & Instrumental Composer
for Film, TV & Theatre

MACBETH
"Time and the hour run through the roughest day."

The houselights begin to fade, out of the dimness you can hear a battlefield all around you getting louder and louder. It's now pitch black and screeching violins are piercing the battle sounds sending shivers down your spine. Smoke appears on the murky stage, and as the music climaxes, roughly clad warriors with huge broadswords swell out onto stage in sword fights that are punctuated by a heart-pounding underscore. As the battle ends, the lights fade once more, thunder rolls, and eerie sounds and whispering voices fill the auditorium ready for the appearance of the three witches.

Combining three-dimensional sound and musical composition with this production made for a unique experience, both for the audience as well as for me as the sound designer and composer.

Directed by Angela Jenkins for the Richmond Shakespeare Society this production saw particularly memorable performances including that of Steve Thompson (Macbeth) and Simon Bickerstaffe (Macduff).

Macbeth (MP3 - 2 mins 47 secs - 1.84 Mb)

ABOUT THE COMPOSER