James Westwater came to the craft he calls photo-choreography by a circuitous route.
His student days saw him gathering scientific qualifications as well as undertaking glaciological research in Alaska. Then there was a diversion into a masters in art history, as well as minor studies in film-making, an interest in photography and a life-long love of classical music.
All of that resolved itself in 1973 into providing a slide show, on a grand scale, for a performance by the Orchestra of Columbus Ohio – where much of this studying had gone on at Ohio State University – of the Symphonica Antarctica by Vaughan Williams. The piece is derived from the composer's film score for Scott of the Antarctic, and Westwater used images from the archives of National Geographic as well as photographs he could access through his own connections with polar research.
Forty years later, Westwater Arts has a repertoire of visual accompaniment for music by composers including Beethoven, Bach, Debussy, Dvorák, Barber, Fauré, Copland, Elgar, Glass, Pachelbel, Górecki, Mahler and Sibelius. This week the latest, and largest, of these photographic essays, has its world premiere in Scotland when Peter Oundjian conducts Smetana's statement of Czech national pride, Ma Vlast.
Westwater and his photographer son-in-law Nicholas Bardonnay, who is now part of the family firm, made two trips to the Czech Republic to capture thousands of images that have gone into the pictures that will accompany the 70-minute performances, jointly commissioned by the RSNO and Oundjian's Canadian orchestra, the Toronto Symphony. A performance by the Liverpool Philharmonic of sections of the project to parts of the vast suite will follow.
It is an international expansion of the practice of Westwater Arts whose main business has been in the US, with work including images to accompany Copland's Lincoln Portrait for the anniversary of his presidency and the Civil War.
Westwater recognises it took a persuasive producer and an orchestra open to new ideas to give him his first opportunity, but demand has led to 50 commissions, although most much smaller than Ma Vlast. "Orchestras now feel the need for our work," he says. "Resistance is weakening out of necessity for many orchestras. The more they need to speak in new meaningful ways, the more my phone rings. It was slow at the beginning but we have an increased reach internationally now."
It seems Bardonnay has the practical approach to the work, although he marvels at how his father-in-law produced his early work using analogue technology and slide projectors.
"Technology has accelerated the impact and flexibility of what we do. Digital projection is so incredibly bright and vivid. Everything goes through Photoshop so we can stitch together panoramic images, adjust the colour balance, contrast and separation."
Nonetheless, the projections audience will see this week are "live", with Westwater and Bardonnay overseeing their work and able to make adjustments, although tempi have been agreed with Oundjian months in advance. Debuting a new work in three different halls on successive nights will be a new experience for Westwater Arts.
Westwater cherishes an endorsement from the Washington Post saying "the images magnify the music".
"It is all about inspiring and moving audiences – and they have eyes as well as ears. If you are opposed to the idea, you can close your eyes and you will miss an extraordinary experience to see the context the composer had in mind when he was creating the work."
Oundjian conducts Ma Vlast at Perth Concert Hall, tomorrow; Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Friday, and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Saturday.
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