Light Stories - Tales from Mathew Barley's Life

Light Stories is tales from Matthew Barley’s life, told through music and projected imagery, narrating his search for meaning in music-making and how, in time, he came to heal past wounds.

The performance incorporates pieces by Joby Talbot, Anna Meredith, John Metcalfe and Bach with new works by Barley, connected by moments of improvisations and electronics. Barley took a template of a ‘voyage and return’ story and mapped events in his life onto it, selecting or composing music to match the stages of the story. Innovative video designers Yeast Culture create projected images as a vivid counterpoint to the music, evoking the darkness of trauma and its transformation into clarity and understanding.

Light Stories was produced with the support of the Nicholas Berwin Charitable Trust and the Southbank Centre, and first performed at the Southbank Centre.