Stockhausen

Four helicopters buzzed across the Birmingham sky as part of an ambitious and daring musical production.

They were the centrepiece of a performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Helicopter String Quartet, which was streamed live on The Space.

A stunning spectacle as viewers were able to see musicians in each cockpit as they performed the score, which is in part a reaction to the noise of the rotor blades and pilot’s movement.

The Helicopter String Quartet is part of Stockhausen’s Mittwoch aus Licht (Wednesday from Light) which is being staged by the Birmingham Opera Company as part of the London 2012 Festival.

Watch a selection of films by Birmingham-based people based on Stockhausen’s music here.