Liverpool Cathedral

I originally was looking at 'Pitcher and Piano' in Nottingham as a space to use. Originally it was a church and has been developed into a bar; yet still contains the religious aspects and architecture. This interested me as it made me think of how within 'Khovanshchina', Peter the Great is trying to westernize Russia whilst the Old Belivers want to bring Russia back to its religious traditions. The way Pitcher and Piano is using an old church as a place of alcohol consumption is an interesting juxtaposition and suits the theme of the opera and can bring a lot to my context. 

However after visiting Pitcher and Piano, the space would not be big enough. Especially when remembering that there is 80 people within the orchestra; let alone 100 in the chorus and 500 audience members! So this made me consider the Liverpool Cathedral.

 A massive cathedral based in the city centre of Liverpool, this religious space is used for modern events such as music concerts; gigs; awards and parties! So using this space still would have the same effect the 'Pitcher and Piano' had in the sense it is a religious space used for modern and un-religious events.

I visited the Cathedral myself to discover and explore the space myself for inspiration; to understand the scale and get a feel of the atmosphere of the venue. 

What I love about this venue is there are three main linking spaces - the Nave, the main space and the choir! It is huge and there is lots of potential!