Opera North's soundwalk Earth & Sky explores the wild uplands of Brontë country

The artists were invited by Opera North to respond to the dramatic landscape of the moors above Haworth, a landscape which was such an inspiration to the Brontë sisters. In preparation, the creative team went to visit the site. “We went to have a look around and to think about the kind of musical styles that would be interesting to work with in the landscape,” says producer Liv McCafferty who led the project for Opera North. “We knew we wanted to also include work by Delius so we had a think about who would provide an interesting international response to that. All the composers involved work in electronic music with classical influences which provides an interesting viewpoint.”

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It is a nice link to the Brontës that all three are female composers. “That was coincidental,” says McCafferty. “We thought of those artists first and foremost for what they do, but they were all pleased about making that connection with the Brontës.” Following the commission, the artists were then taken to explore the moorland. “They came over in early September last year and we went to visit the site with them at various times,” says McCafferty. “We went at dawn and dusk and at other times so that they could get the feel of different moods and sounds.” Having spent time exploring, each composer selected a particular area that they would link their work to.

Italian composer Barbieri, who is artistic director for music at Venice Biennale, has composed a site-specific work located at the cascade of rocks on the outer perimeter of Penistone Hill. The piece, entitled It was the Limit of my Dream, features electronics, chromatic vocal harmonies, sung by members of the Chorus of Opera North, and extended brass drones played by the Orchestral of Opera North.

Multidisciplinary Welsh artist Siôn took inspiration from the natural and industrial elements she discovered within the landscape. “I chose this spot because I was really interested in the wall of rock and the different lives it’s had over time,” she says. “I was interested in it being the site of a disused quarry and how you get the sense of how human interventions have shaped the landscape.” Her composition combines electronics and acoustic instrumentation, environmental and vocal recordings including fragments from literary texts written about the moorland.

Kenyan composer Kariũki’s work is inspired by the flora and fauna of Penistone Hill and also references her East African heritage. She has experimented with the idea of a butterfly flitting over the landscape, using muttered voice and choral styles. The butterfly invites the listener to join her in exploring the terrain. “I wrote the piece in the hope that listeners are transported into their own little fantasy world,” says Kariũki. “Maybe one that takes place between the soft flutters of butterflies’ wings.”

Threaded throughout the soundwalk are recordings made by sound artist Keirle-Dos Santos on Penistone Hill. “Sarah’s recordings, including the dawn chorus and the wind, connect all the compositions and plays with the notion of digital versus the natural,” says McCafferty. “It is embedded in the landscape every step of the way.” Keirle-Dos Santos has also augmented two classical pieces by Delius, performed by the Orchestra of Opera North, with sounds ranging from birdsong, to rustling grass and the beating of butterfly wings.

During the walk Hafeez shares three original poems which explore themes of family, place, nature and identity. “Bradford is the roots to so many stories, including my own, my parents and grandparents who first came to settle here,” she says. “My inspiration comes from these stories... Each of my poems bares these remnants, taking from old stories, memories and words, to build on something new. A reflection of the countless journeys that cross our pathways that we may never know about.”

Earth & Sky is part of Wild Uplands, an open-air gallery featuring contemporary installations by national and international artists placed across Penistone Country Park, running until October 12.