He’s played at the Theatre Royal. He’s played at the Albert Hall. And, in a fitting tribute to his local roots, he’s played at Clipstone Headstocks. It’s safe to say local pianist and composer Chris Miggells is having a career that very few can match. We hear all about the Mansfield man’s special hometown concert, his upcoming album, Synesthese, and more…
Tell us about how you started out as a pianist?
I got piano lessons at the age of twelve - it was my parents’ idea to keep me out of trouble! I fell in love with the instrument, especially when my uncle lent me a Casio keyboard. It enabled me to lose myself in my own little world making music.
Later my neighbours gave me a spare upright piano. With that my passion just grew and grew. When I was fifteen, I got work experience in a recording studio, giving me the chance to play on their grand piano and work with bands. This really encouraged me to keep playing and develop it into a career.
I was listening to Stone Giant travelling through the natural beauty of Sherwood Forest. In this setting it sounded particularly cinematic. What inspired this new work?
The Grand Canyon. That was the first time I’ve been that far away, and seeing an extreme example of the wonders of nature really shook me up, I was awestruck. When I looked at it, I just heard a soundtrack that went along with it.
You’ve made a film for Stone Giant. Is that the first time you’ve explored that creative field?
Yes, this is my debut film. I’ve recorded performances before, but this was the first time I really found inspiration for a film. We recorded at Clipstone Headstocks, which is a real landmark in Nottinghamshire. The 200-feet-high headstocks, the tallest in Europe, they’re a real piece of history. My grandfather worked and broke his back in the mines. It’s been a real part of me, growing up in the Ollerton, Clipstone area and the mining community there.
The headstocks were going to be pulled down, but Stuart Mills thankfully helped save it. Stuart’s been putting on events like music festivals in the headstocks and he kindly showed me around. The Power House room is like a cathedral of iron, I was instantly inspired. The look of the room is incredible, with all the machines and the history, and the sound in there is unreal. I had a vision of bringing a piano into the space.
All excited, I came back into work at Sherwood Phoenix and I’m like, ‘Hey guys, I’ve been to an abandoned coal mine, and we’ve got to put a piano in there as it sounds insane!’ The team were so supportive and got on board. We fixed this massive iron crane onsite to pull the piano up through the floor to get it into the space.
We took the lid off the piano, so the sound was going straight up into this cavernous area. Stone Giant has got a lot of space in-between the chords and the room developed its own tempo. Hitting each chord, letting that circulate and coming back to the piano - the vibe was right, and we recorded the piece in one take!
Clipstone Headstocks’ Power House room is like a cathedral of iron, I was instantly inspired. The look of the room is incredible, and the sound in there is unreal
So where can people see the Stone Giant film?
It’ll be up on my YouTube channel soon. But one of the big things from recording of the film was that Stuart, the owner of the headstocks, has invited me to reprise this as a concert in the Power House. That’s never really been done before, a pianist taking a grand piano to an abandoned coalmine and bringing people into experience it.
Tell us about your debut album…
Synesthese is a word I made from the term synesthesia. This is the neurological condition for experiencing one of your senses through another. It feels like a sort of crossing of the senses, if you can imagine seeing colours or shapes when you hear sound, or maybe you’re watching something extraordinary and hearing an internal sound which moves along with it.
This is the most fitting description I could find to characterise what I feel has been influencing my music. When I have a vivid experience, I’ll internally hear a soundtrack in my mind to accompany it, evolving with every moment. Being able to express this with my piano led me to create the album.
Watch the Stone Giant film and find out more about Chris Miggells on his website and YouTube channel, and look out for the forthcoming concert date at Clipstone Headstocks
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