Brighton: Symphony of a City

Lizzie Thynne film director

Ed Hughes composer & conductor

Orchestra of Sound and LightBrighton in all its festive, bohemian, campaigning glory has inspired a remarkable fusion of silent film and live music by filmmaker Lizzie Thynne and composer Ed Hughes, originally commissioned by the Brighton Festival to premiere at its 50th edition. 

This performance features a chamber orchestra of top professional musicians at the newly reopened ACCA at the University of Sussex. 

Drawing on such precedents as Walter Ruttmann’s 1927 silent classic Berlin: Symphony of a Great City, this new film depicts a day in the life of the city, darting back and forth through time to encompass archive film of the lost glories and contemporary events that have defined Brighton’s profile as the UK’s most vibrant location. This kaleidoscope of local identity is accompanied by a sumptuous symphonic score performed live by Orchestra of Sound and Light.