Rock
Pet Shop Boys announce Alan Turning-inspired album A man from the future
Pet Shop Boys have announced A man from the future, an eight-track album exploring the life and legacy of pioneering mathematician and World War II codebreaker Alan Turing.
Pet Shop Boys are celebrating the extraordinary life of Alan Turing on their new album A man from the future.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have teamed up with Turing biographer Andrew Hodges for the eight-track record, which will be released on October 9.
The ambitious project mixes songs, spoken word, electronic music and orchestral arrangements to explore eight significant chapters in the life and death of the pioneering British mathematician and World War II codebreaker.
It also examines his contribution to the development of the digital computer, his predictions about Artificial Intelligence and his conviction for a homosexual relationship before his death by suicide in 1954 at the age of 41.
Turing was found dead at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, on June 8, 1954, with an inquest concluding that he had died the previous day. His death came two years after he was prosecuted for homosexuality and subjected to hormonal treatment as an alternative to imprisonment.
Actress Juliet Stevenson narrates passages taken from Hodges' acclaimed biography Alan Turing: The Enigma, which have been edited and extended by Tennant and the author.
Meanwhile, Sven Helbig's string arrangements are performed by the Manchester Camerata Octet, with boys from Manchester Grammar School's choir appearing on four tracks.
Pet Shop Boys said: “Our motive in creating this work was to make a musical memorial to Alan Turing who gave so much to his country and the world and was rewarded for it by being prosecuted for his sexuality. Alan made a massive contribution to the defeat of Germany in World War II and was a pioneer of computing, imagining a world with intelligent computers. He also looked forward to a time when being gay would be accepted as normal. In both his professional and private lives, he was ahead of his time.”
The duo originally created the work with Hodges in 2012 and 2013 and performed it alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra and BBC Singers at the Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms in July 2014.
More than a decade later, Tennant and Lowe decided to revisit the project and give it a stronger electronic sound, while Helbig reworked his orchestration for eight string players.
Fans will get their first chance to hear the new version when the BBC gives A man from the future its world premiere on October 4 across BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 3.
Pet Shop Boys and Hodges will then appear at Imperial War Museum North in Manchester on October 8 for a full playback of the album followed by a conversation about the project.
A man from the future will be available digitally and on vinyl, CD and Blu-ray audio and is available to pre-ordered now.
Tracklist:
Natural Wonders Every Child Should Know
He Dreamed of Machines
The Enigma
Other Ranks
The Memory and the Control
The Trial
Only in His Death
A Man From The Future
