Live-to-picture concerts
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Although Thor doesn’t like these kinds of concerts, I assume I’m not the only one who likes the concept. 🙂
What triggered me to create this topic was the discovery of upcoming LTP concerts of Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, a classic Norwegian puppet animated film. The concerts will take place in major cities in Norway.
What do you think of LTP concerts?
Well, I’ve been to only one, for THE EMPIRE STIRKES BACK, which was a frustrating experience, as I reported here. Of course, I might have been especially unlucky with this one, due to a venue that’s unfavorable for such events (Oslo Spektrum), and a sound mix that did the live orchestral performance no favors, with the film sound basically drowning it.
So this experience didn’t exactly encourage me to go to more of these events, at least not to the ones done by Disney. Which would rule out some of those I actually WOULD be interested in, like more STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES, if I could trust that I would hear what the orchestra is actually doing. Not sure if this is a problem only at Disney-run events. Hopefully it is.
I did see two if I remember right. Pirates of the Caribeann and a few years ago Star Wars. The 2nd indeed lacked a bit thte same acoustic venue issue but nevertheless it was nice.
Probably not fitting but I did see some silent movie with live music as well which I prefer.
Two “live to picture” concerts I have attended that were splendid:
KOYAANISQATSI
FANTASIA 2000I’m sure because these movies are basically just images and music, they lend themselves to these types of concerts more than movies with lots of sound effects and dialog.
As Sigbjørn says, I don’t like them. Not really concerts, more like fancy moviegoing experiences.
But I’ve seen a few whether I like them or not, as they’ve been part of a festival programme. PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER, KON-TIKI and GLADIATOR come to mind.
Mrs TG and I saw Casino Royale with live music (the Arnold, not the Bacharach) at the Harrogate Conference Centre a few years ago. We really enjoyed it, and had good seats where we could see the conductor’s monitor over his shoulder, which gave him visual cues as to when to tee up the musicians.
We had tickets to see one of the Star Wars films as well, but lockdown happened and it was cancelled. Not many opportunities present themselves in our vicinity, but we’d see others quite happily.
Not directly the same at least “as intended”: I saw several silent movies with live music some years ago, some to note were:
– THE GENERAL: Open Air with Carl Davis’ score played by our local Symphony Orchestra (sadly without Davis himself)
– THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE: With the original score by Joseph Weiss
– THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED with the original score by Wolfang Zeller at our University Of Music played by a student chamber orchestraYes, and speaking of old silent films, that’s a rare instance where I think this “concept” works. I’ve had some good experiences there, like the German electronica band Tronthaim doing a live score for BERLIN – SINPHONIE DER GROSSTADT (1927), the Norwegian electronica guru Ugress aka Gisle Martens Meyer doing HÄXAN (1922) or the Norwegian jazz pianist Bugge Wesseltoft doing his take on the Brazilian arthouse silent film LIMITÉ (1931), with a band at the opera house some 10 years ago.
I saw a few silent movies with new scores live as well. Don’t remember all. But for example THE GOLEM with a new music by Betty Olivero featuring the Arditti Quartet and Giora Feidman as soloist (since I also have the CD of that). Or THE BLACK BIRD with a news score by a local band (which even was on some DVD).
I find that too modern scores, be it too pop or too advantgarde often tend to clash a little with the “old images”. If you know what I mean. But that’s probably a different topic.
I find that too modern scores, be it too pop or too advantgarde often tend to clash a little with the “old images”. If you know what I mean.
Sometimes. But also sometimes adding new colour and vibrancy to a scene. For example, the EDM music that Tronthaim did for the extended dance sequence in BERLIN suddenly made the whole thing come alive in a timeless fashion. As if the present communicated with the past and tied it all together. I love things like that.
Oh yes, I’ve been to a couple of silent movie concerts also (THE GENERAL and NOSFERATU), and they’ve been great. Of course, when the music is the only sound, then the experience is turned into something quite different.
Both of these were rather small-scale events, with only two or three musicians – keyboards, percussion and (for NOSFERATU) a violinist. And both had original and quite inventive scores composed (and partly improvised) by the keyboard player, Kjetil Schjander Luhr (maybe you’ve heard of him, Thor? I think he’s done similar events at Cinemateket in Oslo).
In the early 90s there were a few silent movie screening with an old 90 year old piano player who already accompanied those in the 1920s. These screenings were quite popular, but I missed out on these thinking I could go there any time and then it was over.
But now here in Berlin we have a cinema were regularly silent movies with full film orchestra are performed. Went there once for Metropolis. Will for sure go again. They play usually the reconstructed original scores.
In the early 90s there were a few silent movie screening with an old 90 year old piano player who already accompanied those in the 1920s.
Wow – that’s wonderful!
In the early 90s there were a few silent movie screening with an old 90 year old piano player who already accompanied those in the 1920s. These screenings were quite popular, but I missed out on these thinking I could go there any time and then it was over.
That probably would have been Willy Sommerfeld. Sadly never saw him live but he was even featured on TV over here as teh “last silent movie pianist” who actually really played to silents. He was basically active until his passing at 103 in 2007. There is a website about a documentation and a German wikipedia entry:
https://www.willysommerfeld.de/
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_SommerfeldI saw this far younger pianist once here in Hamburg playing to NOSFERATU:
https://www.stummfilmkonzerte.de/glossar/personen/bothmerstephan.htmlBut now here in Berlin we have a cinema were regularly silent movies with full film orchestra are performed.
I guess that would be the Babylon right?:
https://babylonberlin.eu/I guess that would be the Babylon right?:
https://babylonberlin.eu/Exactly!
That probably would have been Willy Sommerfeld.
Yes. I think so.
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