20 Jun 2021

Composer John Gibson

From Standing Room Only, 12:45 pm on 20 June 2021
John Gibson

John Gibson Photo: John Gibson

Composer John Gibson has set himself a pretty big task - conveying the power and dominance of the Catholic Church in Renaissance Europe through sound and music.

Rather than relying on existing sound effects for the Auckland Theatre Company's upcoming production of Berthold Brecht's The Life of Galileo, John's been out recording bells and the Auckland Town Hall Pipe organ himself.

He's also asked his friend, Clean guitarist David Kilgour, to come up with riff to play over a 1610 mass.

Having composed the soundscape, John Gibson has taken it a step further.  He's going to convert the ASB Waterfront Theatre into surround sound so the audience feels like it's in a cathedral.

For more than 3 decades John's been composing for theatre, dance, TV and also film  - most recently for upcoming NZ feature Coming Home in the Dark.

Lynn Freeman asks John what attracted him to sound design and composition.

The Life of Galileo opens at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland on Tuesday.

The Life of Galileo

The Life of Galileo Photo: Supplied