Experience 1920s theatre set to live music.
Music on the Hill invites you to experience F.W. Murnau’s award-winning 1927 silent film, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, featuring a live soundtrack performed by violinists Nadia Francavilla and Aaron McFarlane, violist Stephen Mott, cellist Katharine Bestvater and bassist Andrew Miller, conducted by Edwin Tai.
“We are used to going to theatres and not thinking about it,” said Francavilla. “How many people walk out of theatres as the credits are rolling at the end of the movie? In many instances, the soundtrack makes the movie and it is a pretty important part of what is out there.”
In a 1958 article, the French magazine, Cahiers du Cinéma, called Murnau the greatest director of all-time and Sunrise, his greatest film.
“The fact that this film uses no names or words makes it very human,” said Francavilla, “and one that can be shown and understood anywhere. You do not need to understand language for this film. I think people might get different things out of the music, but I think it would touch anyone”.
Through the performance and a short talk, Francavilla, and her fellow musicians hope to give a glimpse into the early pairing of film and sound.
“People [in the 1920s] would have heard this movie with live music, so this performance is actually very close to what people to what people in that generation would have seen”.
Enjoy this poignant and entertaining film along with a short educational talk on the role of theatre orchestras in 1920s filmmaking. This is a rare experience you won’t want to miss!
Music & Films | November 19th, 2014 | 7:30pm at Memorial Hall, UNB Fredericton | Tickets: $25 adults / $22 seniors / $10 youth & students | Available at Westminster Books, Memorial Hall Music Office, and at the door | Contact: 453-4697 or moth@unb.ca
