Teatro Greco: the most stunning views in the world
Our next sound from Sicily is from a place better known for its views than for its sounds, the Teatro Greco in Taormina, built high on a hill overlooking the sea, the beautiful old town and the imposing sight of Mount Etna – it’s truly one of the most extraordinary views I’ve ever seen (pictures below).
The field recording taken from the Teatro Greco is from a tour guide, speaking English with a strong accent and an interesting turn of phrase, describing the ancient theatre’s history to an interested tour group close to the stage – incredibly, this ancient theatre is still regularly used for concerts today.
One phrase from her narrative, ‘the imagination of the mythology’, particularly stood out for me, and became the centre of a drone-based reimagining.
Every sound you hear here is taken from the voice of the tour guide – every layer of drone is an element of her voice, heavily effected and processed, while she repeats her own words ‘the imagination of the mythology’ over and over throughout the course of the piece.
Really, it’s an attempt to capture even a fragment of that heart-in-mouth sense of being completely overwhelmed by what you’re seeing for the first time.
City version:
Memory version: