Home » TRAVEL EVENT NEWS » Graeme Stephen’s Metropolis ft. The Fiona Winning Quartet Opens Soundhouse Winter Festival 2025, Redefining Cinema and Music in Edinburgh, Scotland: Check It Out Now Published on
December 2, 2025The Soundhouse Winter Festival 2025 in Edinburgh kicked off in an extraordinary fashion with Graeme Stephen’s innovative performance of Metropolis. This monumental event, held at the renowned Traverse Theatre, was a fusion of visual storytelling and live music that redefined the cinematic experience. Stephen’s unique score, performed live by The Fiona Winning Quartet alongside his own composition on electric guitar, offered a new lens through which to experience Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent classic, Metropolis. This performance not only celebrated the history of cinema but also highlighted the thriving arts scene in Edinburgh, attracting visitors from all corners of the world.Metropolis Revisited: A Fresh Soundscape for an Iconic FilmMetropolis, one of the most influential films in cinematic history, has always been defined by its grand visual style and operatic score. Originally paired with a Wagnerian composition by Gottfried Huppertz, the film’s dramatic themes of class disparity, industrialization, and futuristic dystopia were brought to life through a thunderous score. However, Graeme Stephen’s reinterpretation with a much more intimate, modern musical arrangement brought a fresh, organic dimension to the experience.Advertisement Rather than overwhelming the viewer with a bombastic, operatic approach, Stephen’s composition introduced a more nuanced and intricate soundscape that perfectly complemented the visual drama of the film. His electric guitar, pulsating rhythm, and subtle layering of melodies allowed the music to interact with the film in a deeply symbiotic way, providing an additional emotional layer to the already intense visuals.Stephen’s score serves as a reinterpretation of the binary world presented in Lang’s Metropolis—the towering, oppressive capitalist elite versus the downtrodden workers toiling beneath the city. While the film’s visuals portray this conflict through Art Deco skyscrapers and steam-powered machinery, Stephen’s score delicately balances these contrasts with an organic flow between the music’s various styles. From moments of jazz swing to modernist polyphonic textures, the score effortlessly mirrors the shifting emotions and tensions of the film, all while respecting the delicate balance between traditional orchestration and contemporary sounds.AdvertisementA Celebration of Scottish MusicianshipThe music’s performance was elevated by the remarkable talents of The Fiona Winning Quartet, who flawlessly blended their classical training with the contemporary vision of Stephen’s score. Alongside Tom Bancroft, who brought an innovative touch to the percussion, the ensemble formed a perfect harmony that bridged the gap between classical chamber music and modern jazz elements. Their meticulous timing and precise execution allowed for a seamless integra …
