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The Pigeon King (Soundtrack)

by The Blyth Festival Pigeon King Company

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First Cheque 01:55
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Well, Well 03:03
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about

In one of the wildest frauds in Canadian history, farmer Arlan Galbraith built a bird-breeding empire called Pigeon King International, using investments from hundreds of his nearly insolvent neighbours. For seven years, he offered a lifeline of financial hope to people whose luck had nearly run out. But was he really a scheming con man? Or a hapless victim of his own preposterous dream? "The Pigeon King" is the play that tells of Galbraith's incredible rise and fall and of the cost to those he had vowed to save.

The Pigeon King premiered at The Blyth Festival in 2017. The brainchild of Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt, the goal was to get a director, some actor/musicians and designers all in a room, and together, utilizing extensive research and improvisation, create a compelling theatrical account of this strange and tragic comedy. On the first day of rehearsal, 6 weeks before seeing an audience, the play, and the music in it, did not yet exist. Five weeks later, the show had a running time of seven and a half hours. On opening night it played for two hours with an intermission.

This is a live off the floor studio recording of the music that appeared in that original production. All tracks were written by members of the creative team in the context of a collaborative rehearsal environment and, the arrangements heard in the production were determined by who was or wasn't acting in a scene at any given time. For this recording we've expanded a few of the tracks and are so grateful to be able to feature the extraordinary fiddle playing of Ajineen Sagal, who had filled in for one of the original creators for a few weeks during the original production. We're delighted she joined us for this and, to be able to share some of that experience with you.

The Pigeon King was created collaboratively by The Blyth Festival Pigeon King Company. They are: Rebecca Auerbach, Jason Chesworth, Gil Garratt, Gemma James-Smith, George Meanwell, Jack Nicholsen, Birgitte Solem, and Severn Thompson.

The original production was directed by Severn Thompson, with Gemma James-Smith - costumes, Verne Good - sound design, Steve Lucas - lighting and production design, Heather Thompson - stage manager, and Katerina Sokyrko - assistant stage manager.

We'd like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our co-creator Gemma James-Smith for the warm, restful beds and home cooked meals during the 3 days it took to rehearse and record this project. The Blyth Festival Pigeon King Company would also like to acknowledge the courage and generosity of the farmers, journalists, investigators, lawyers, family and folks who came forward to share their stories. The play, the songs, these recordings, none of it would exist without you. To you, our deepest gratitude.

credits

released April 18, 2019

Engineered by: John Powers
Mixed by: John Powers with Gil Garratt, George Meanwell & Jack Nicholsen
Mastered by: John Powers
Recorded at: Pine Loft Studio, Holmesville, Ontario
Produced by: Gil Garratt and The Blyth Festival Pigeon King Company
All tracks arranged by: The Blyth Festival Pigeon King Company
Artwork: Steve Lucas, Jack Nicholsen, Ruth Ann Pearce
Photography: Steve Lucas, Jack Nicholsen, Jamie Wilson

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