"A fantastic sensory experience. I loved the whole thing. Every player was amazing. I didn't know where to look! Brilliant performance."
"Just staggering I thought. The variety of music (instrumentation, styles etc) was wide, adding considerably to its impact - amazing piece of composing. I was drawn into the film itself and forgot the performers altogether - just how a film score should be!"
"What an astounding performance. From the start (with the Ukrainian chorus) to end it was amazing, 5 stars to all involved!"
"A great evening experience. The music was amazing and so well matched to the film. Such a talented lot."
"This brave artistic endeavour connected the 1920s film to the 21st century, enhancing the drama, building tension, and perfectly fitting the action “frame by frame.” It was a stunning fusion of sound and vision, an experience that was both beautiful and thought-provoking."
"The Pit Orchestra's score for Battleship Potemkin was utterly breathtaking. The Pit Orchestra, and this soundtrack in particular, deserve wider recognition. This event was by far the cultural highlight of my year."
"A phenomenal performance that bought new life to an old classic. Hope more films are given the same treatment!"
"It was absolutely brilliant! We were unsure what to expect, but were soon drawn into the emotional rollercoaster, created by the iconic film and deeply moving music. We loved it!"
"It was all great. Inspiration to start with the Ukrainian folk singers. Loved the film and the orchestral effect was wonderful."
"Excellent imaginative score for the film. I can't imagine how everyone managed to sync their parts to the action. The best event we have been to in Plymouth in years."
"Battleship Potemkin was an intriguing choice of film, but after we learned about the film, we much appreciated the finale of the music reflected on the rather controversial ending of this propaganda film. It was a both captivating and informative performance."
In December 2025 we presented a special film-with-live-orchestra performance in celebration of the centenary of what is considered one of the greatest films ever created, Battleship Potemkin.
On this page:
project background
Ukrainian Singers of Plymouth information
access to full score & full visual score
project crew, mentors and commissioned artist bios and websites
how to set up your own Battleship Potemkin 2025 screening at home
Sergei Eisenstein’s legendary 1925 silent film, widely considered a masterpiece in early cinema, was inspired by the failed 1905 Russian Revolution. Its iconic climatic scene - a fictional massacre of civilians on the iconic Odessa steps in Ukraine - is widely studied for its editing and pioneering use of montage.
Richardson says, “Battleship Potemkin not only represents a milestone in the grand history of cinema, as well as the shorter history of The Pit Orchestra, it is also a potent symbol of revolution and resistance to established authority and oppression; a position that lies at the heart of The Pit Orchestra’s ethos. We want to honour the film’s legacy, the anti-establishment spirit of Russia's post-revolution music scene, the geo-political moment in which the centenary is occurring, and our own code of DIY collective action.”
Whilst the film is now 100 years old, it still holds great resonance for us. Its rebellious spirit, use of amateur actors, lack of a “star”, focus on community over the individual, and inventive approach to filmmaking all have parallels with the ethos of TPO. You may know that we are an inclusive project that aims to offer the opportunity to play in our ranks to anyone, regardless of ability or experience. Through open calls, we invite people to apply to be part of our projects, and as such each iteration of TPO is new and exciting and brings fresh energy and ideas to the project, and further builds our alumni and connections in the city. You can read more about this project’s players below.
This score was first performed in 2017, commissioned by local film hero Anna Navas, and composed by Tom Richardson, Chris Bailey, Chris Muirhead and Jay Newton. It has now been reimagined, updated and finalised by Tom Richardson for 2025 with technical guidance from the virtuosic, internationally-renowned composer Simon Dobson. See the full score further down this page, and if you are interested in using it with your own ensemble you'll find more information here
In July, rehearsals began with the newly selected crew, and in November we spent 5 days at Middle Farm Studios creating the recorded version of the score which is available on CD or as a digital download here
As part of our Arts Council project grant, we were able to commission Alessia Anastassopulos to create a visual score for those of us that don’t read music, and you can find excerpts of that score on the CD artwork - or view the whole incredible document she produced further down this page.
We invited the Ukrainian Singers of Plymouth, a grassroots choir of Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s war, to share the stage with us on 13th December 2025, which they described as the opportunity to SPEAK on behalf of all those who were silenced, displaced, persecuted, and tortured by Russian and Soviet tyranny. Their voices invite us to look critically at the heritage of this film beyond its artistic value.
By joining us they did not endorse the film, but stood as living proof that the art and rich history of the people helps them to survive, resist, and continue to tell their own real stories.
Read their reflection on the film, written especially for this centenary, here
TPO Musical Director
guitar, piano, vocals, harpsichord
Tom Richardson is co-founder and musical director of The Pit Orchestra. He plays guitar, piano and drums, and comes from a background in punk-rock bands in Plymouth. More recently, Tom has started composing for both film and orchestra, with awards for his score for short film Kalla (2022), commissioned to score short film Jay's Grave (2024), and a live performance of his debut solo composition Polyamateur by the University of Plymouth Orchestra. For Battleship Potemkin (2025), he has created a full notated score for 12 players based on the group's 2017 performance including updating and re-composing sections to fully realise TPO's original vision for their score.
TPO Coordinator
cello, vocals
Chris is a musician, writer and filmmaker who joined his first band when he was 12 and has been making things ever since. Primarily a vocalist and lyricist, he is also an enthusiastic player of cello and home-made noise making instruments. He has been in bands all his adult life, most recently Aches. His new band is called Tarrion and he runs Deadlake Films with Katy Richardson. As a filmmaker he has directed or co-directed 6 short films, winning Best Score for Kalla (2022) at RS Filmfest. A founding member of The Pit Orchestra, Chris also co-composes music for TPO and writes many of the lyrics and words found in their compositions.
Project Producer
fire bell
Katy Richardson is a visual artist and arts producer based in Plymouth, UK. She holds an MA in Contemporary Art Practice from University of Plymouth, 2019. Her work concerns ideas around trauma, grief and haunting, most often using the body, sound and moving image to explore the places where these themes intersect. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and commissioned by major organisations such as Hospital Rooms and The Box. First approaching The Pit Orchestra with a proposal to collaborate on her film project Relic (2016), she is now working with TPO as a producer.
guitar
Chris Bailey is a musician and video artist from Plymouth.
He primarily plays guitar but has been known to attack piano frames with spanners, pots and pans with bouncy balls and biro pens, and wine glasses with a deft finger.
Chris is a founding member of The Pit Orchestra, and has composed music for many of the group’s scores and compositions - including Battleship Potemkin - over its 12 year history.
vocals, piano
Bee Jarvis is a Plymouth-based Jazz singer, pianist, composer, and Musical Director. She has worked on several professional, local, and touring musical productions, and recently premiered her own musical "All In" at Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP in 2024. Bee is particularly excited to be sharing piano duties on this beautiful score.
Her favourite recent credits include Hugh Janes' The Choir (TRP 2023), Derren Brown Showman (TRP 2021, Mayflower Theatre Southampton 2022), Beyond Face Picture This (Exeter Phoenix and The Box Plymouth, 2025), and Headlong Theatre's A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction (TRP 2023).
bass, vocals, percussion
Sumika is a British-Japanese multi-instrumentalist who plays bass and sings in the band Goldenmother, while also writing and recording her own solo music.
Influenced by her mixed heritage, she values diversity and inclusion, which shape both her creative work and her approach to collaboration. Whether performing solo or as part of a group, Sumika sees music as a space for growth, reflection, and meaningful connection through shared artistic expression.
violin
Martin started out mainly playing violin and folk mandolin, but also, as a side-line, indulging his penchant for rock music on guitar and bass.
He has worked in operas, ceilidhs, symphony orchestras, musical theatre in fact anywhere where the project or the people (preferably both) are interesting. He has written songs for cabaret, shows at the Edinburgh Festival, and regularly writes or arranges music for any of the string groups he works with.
violin
Jasper has played in the University of Plymouth Orchestra (now POCO).
He really enjoys playing classical music, as well as Newfoundland and Irish folk.
He applied for Battleship Potemkin because of the historical significance of the film and he thought it seemed really cool to get involved with a small local group of musicians!
vocals, percussion
With a rich musical background that includes singing in bands and choirs, as well as playing cello,sax and flute in orchestras, Kim is rediscovering and reviving skills that had long been set aside. Her versatility as a musician even led her to contribute electric cello to a punk band recording, showcasing her belief in the instrument’s potential beyond its classical roots. Drawn to The Pit Orchestra by the innovative and hard-working creatives at its helm, she values the group’s openness to new ideas and their ability to evolve.
trumpet
Marriott Witney is an Illustration student who studies at Arts University Plymouth but is originally from Bournemouth.
She has been playing the trumpet for 7 years and has participated in several small band functions. She applied for this project so that she can enjoy playing in a group ensemble again after not being able to play in any groups at university.
drums, percussion
Georgia has played with various musical ensembles, such as Weapons of Sound junk band, Napithapi African drum group, Bangorang samba band, and steel band with whom she has played a number of Panorama competitions, even winning a couple.
She has also played for various punk and rock bands over the years. She mainly plays drums and percussion but also plays guitar, sings, and dabbles with various other instruments.
flute, accordion, vocals
Francis is a multi-instrumentalist who plays whistles, flutes, piano accordion and piano. He was born and brought up in Middlesbrough in North East England, where he learnt to play the piano and tin whistle as a child.
He is one third of folk trio Windjammer, who have a number of studio releases and regularly perform at summer festivals. He also collaborates with other artists, including Jon Fazal and Suthering, and is a member of The Great Sea Choir.
notation mentor
Simon Dobson is an award winning composer, orchestral arranger, producer, conductor and multi-instrumentalist. Simon’s work with London's Parallax Orchestra has seen him conduct and arrange sell out shows at the Royal Albert Hall with metal giants Bring Me The Horizon and Alter Bridge and record entire albums of his arrangements in Abbey Road room one with metal-core legends Architects.
His work with brass bands and wind orchestras has seen his work be performed the world over, and Simon has been the recipient of three British Composer of the Year awards (BASCA).
As a conductor Simon has toured as guest conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and regularly undertakes conducting and artistic production duties with the world-famous Metropole Orkest in Amsterdam. Simon also works as a producer and performer, having written the strings and brass for several UK no.1 albums and recorded trumpet and written strings on more than a hundred others.
writing-to-picture mentor
Charlotte made her feature film scoring debut at the age of 23, writing the main thematic music for One Night In Istanbul (Paul Barber, Stephen Waddington), this formed the start of a great working relationship with the Director James Marquand. They further collaborated on the 2015 release, Between Two Worlds (Elliot 'Example' Gleave, Chris Mason, Lucien Laviscount); and more recently on Beautiful Devils (Ian Glen, Osy Ishkile, and Elliot James Langridge).
She also wrote music for Nicholas Moss's directorial debut Break, starring the late great John Hurt (Harry Potter, Alien) and Kika Markham (Outland, Two English Girls). The film premiered at Manchester International Film Festival (March 2016), where it was awarded 'Best UK Short'.
Charlotte is known for her humanistic sound, utilising classical instruments such as the piano alongside a more "indie" pop sounding palette. Equally at home writing a beautiful classical score or a synth based anthem, her amalgamation of different genres adds to her unique voice.
choral arrangement mentor
Kat is UK based professional vocalist, musician and songwriter with over 16 years of studio and live experience. She has worked with a variety of artists and producers, including Grammy-nominated band Bring Me The Horizon and Grammy-winning producers Stephen Fitzmaurice and Jacquire King. She has performed at some of the UK's premiere music venues and festivals including the Royal Albert Hall, the Roundhouse, Reading & Leeds Festivals, Glastonbury, Download Festival and Bestival.
In addition to her work as a soloist, she is also the founder of (and choir leader/arranger for) Choir Noir a unique and versatile choir made up of hand-picked vocalists from across the UK, who have a wealth of combined experience in both recording and live environments. She is also an experienced topline writer, lyricist and songwriter, and her songs have been played on major radio stations and have been synced to movies and TV shows internationally.
She released her debut album ‘Portal’ as Cestra in 2020. She works in partnership with Parallax Orchestra, a professional UK-based orchestra who provide a session-player fixing and music arranging service.
As part of this project we commissioned a visual score that would attempt to communicate the music to people who can't read traditional staves. Although visual scores are more often prompts for improvisation rather than instructions on how to play music that has already been written, we wanted to see who would be interested in this very challenging proposition. From a very impressive international group of applicants working across several different relevant disciplines, we selected Alessia Anastassopulos.
Alessia Anastassopulos is an Italo-Greek violinist, composer, and experimental performer. Her musical journey began in childhood with classical violin training, leading to a Bachelor's degree in Violin Performance in 2015. She then earned a professional diploma in Music Therapy in 2017 and completed a Master's degree in Music and New Technologies in 2018.
In recent years, Alessia has focused on graphic scores, free improvisation, and audio-visual composition. Since 2016, her works have been showcased in Italy and internationally, earning several awards and recognition. In 2024, she completed a practice-based Ph.D. in Music at the University of Huddersfield, where her research explored the use of concrete sound for narrative purposes in audio-visual composition and introduced the original concept of Inclusive Listening, a creative sound awareness technique.
Currently based in Bagni di Lucca, Italy, Alessia is a lecturer of the History of Electroacoustic Music module at the Conservatoire of Ravenna (Italy), co-directs the cultural association APS Le Campane with her partner, Maximiliano Cicuttini, and works as a music therapist for La Tartaruga APS of Pisa. Her artistic focus now revolves around creating works that intertwine the natural beauty of her surroundings, motherhood, and folkloric traditions.
Full score available now on CD or as a digital download - use the BandCamp button below to purchase it.
Recorded by Pete Miles (far left) at Middle Farm Studios, Nov 2025
Photo: Tori Caldeira
Watch Battleship Potemkin with The Pit Orchestra's score
If you would like to listen to our recorded score alongside the film, follow these instructions:
Get the Deutsche Kinemathek 2005 version of the film, distributed by the BFI in 2016. NB: other versions have different runtimes
mute the DVD's sound track and get the menu screen ready to play
start playing the CD or digital download of our score playing
press play on the DVD when the timecode on the CD is 00:01:02 (you should see opening credits on screen until the CD is at approximately 00:01:53, then the first image appears of waves crashing)
The Pit Orchestra would like to thank:
The Ukrainian Singers of Plymouth & David Salter | Jane Richardson | Anna Navas | Bea Rogers | Flo Limb | Jonny Hibbs | Soren Bryce | Erin Bailey | Jay Newton, Cathy McCabe, Sally Bell & Shane McKenna | Hannah Harris | The staff of The House, Plymouth University | The British Film Institute (BFI)
& everyone who supports TPO by playing in our ranks or attending our events