Bringing Voices from the Peak to Buxton Fringe

Poet and recording artist Mark Gwynne Jones is bringing his 'Voices From The Peak' to Buxton Fringe Festival.

Virtual visitors to the online festival - which runs until July 19 - can listen to the first chapter of his new soundscape which has been made to help celebrate the 70th birthday of the Peak District National Park next April.

Billed as a 20 minute audio odyssey, titled Burning Drake, it draws on the ‘mysterious elements underground’ that have shaped not just the Peak District landscape and geology but its people. 

Listeners will hear voices, poetry, music and sounds.

Mark (pictured) says it’s an idea he has had for a long time, adding: “As a youth I remember listening intently to a skylark and realising how varied its song is. 

“Sometimes it’s the sounds of mundane things, like the squeal of a gate that suddenly strikes you as quite musical or otherworldly. When coupled with people’s stories it’s like listening to the landscape talking. 

“The words and sounds brought together evoke the atmospheres, wildlife and stories of this strange and beautiful land of contrasts.”

Mark made his recordings before the coronavirus restrictions. He spoke to miners, farmers, archaeologists and recorded sounds in tunnels and old mines as well as sleeping under the trees to catch the dawn chorus.

Tom Marshall, Peak District National Park head of communications, said: “Mark’s recordings take on an added resonance as they allow us to continue hearing the National Park we know and love, from our homes.”

You can listen for free by clicking on the Voices From The Peak entry in the Spoken Word section of the Fringe website at buxtonfringe.org.uk.