Faust at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh

November 23, 2011 Leave a comment

5/5

It is often difficult to find something to do on Halloween that doesn’t involve excessive amounts of alcohol and outfits that would be deemed offensive at any other time of the year. However, once again the Usher Hall provides the perfect cultural alternative for this day of horrors.

As part of an evening of entertainment, it opened its doors to a freak show of gangsters, dolls, devils and time lords befitting their 1920s horror theme. As guests were welcomed with a live jazz band playing tunes of the time, they were left to soak up the atmosphere in the great building before heading on to the main hall for the warm up act.

Here, Scott Smith – a local musician and illusionist – dazzled the audience through his combination of séance, hypnotism and a thoroughly impressive final reveal which shocked and wowed his spectators in equal measure. Creating a suitably frightening atmosphere, he managed to chill his audience by convincing them that a young girl who died at the Cambridge Street School – the building which lay where the Usher Hall now stands – was trying to send messages from beyond the grave. Smith’s authoritative performance set up the evening perfectly for the main act.

F.W. Murnau’s Faust is one of the true classics of the silent era. A tale as much about morality as a disturbing story of what happens when a man sells his soul to the devil, it remains timeless in its ability to affect the viewer. With cinematography that is nothing short of exquisite for the period, its opening sequence featuring the four horsemen of the apocalypse is still just as haunting today.

It was, however, Donald Mackenzie’s organ recital that stole the show. With an original score composed by himself and loosely based on the original accompaniment and a selection of well known hymns, it brought gusto and gravitas to the piece, creating an incredibly eery and absorbing mood that brought to mind what cinema was truly meant to be.

For the alternative Halloween evening this ticked all the right boxes, allowing for a night to remember, and one to definitely recommend.

Taken from The Student, published online Sat Nov 5th 2011.

Filed under Film Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tindersticks presents Claire Denis Film Scores 1996-2009

November 23, 2011 Leave a comment

3/5

Claire Denis is well known for her thought provoking films which contain little dialogue, instead focusing on individual themes portrayed through long drawn out shots, sounds and textures. Often abandoning a conventional approach to narrative, she lets actions and music do the talking, creating powerfully absorbing films.

This has in part been made possible through her long term collaboration with Nottingham based indie band Tindersticks. Crafting soundtracks during the creative process, as opposed to being added in the later stages of production, their songs have been made with the direct intention of capturing the various ideas at work in each scene.

A celebration of the ongoing work between Denis and Tindersticks, the Usher Hall put on an evening of live scores played to images of Denis’ films. The result is an original and altogether captivating experience.

Following a few minor technical problems, the band opt to open with one of their own songs “Bearsuit” from their 1997 album Curtains, before breaking in to the emotive title sequence from Nénette et Boni. With ethereal piano and whimsical glockenspiel set against images of Alice Houri floating fully clothed in a swimming pool, the result is enrapturing. It is amazing how the combination of video and sound can make the Usher Hall feel inescapably cavernous; meaningful even outside of the context of the film.

As the set progresses, notable moments are recreated live: the beautiful train scene from 35 Shots of Rum, with its touching acoustic guitar and melodica; the opening scene of Trouble Every Day, which features one of the few additions of Stuart Staples’ impassioned vocals; and the haunting scene from The Intruder, where a single distorted note resonates as two men carry a body dripping with blood over the crisp white snow.

As a live experience, this is undeniably innovative, however a second half featuring songs almost entirely from their own albums reduce it somewhat to a mere music gig. Although arguably their music easily stands on its own, unaided by Denis’ visuals, there is a definite feeling that more emphasis could have been placed on the cinematic element of the performance.

Taken from the Student published Tue Oct 25th 2011.

Filed under Film, Music Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

65daysofstatic Score Silent Running: Live

October 13, 2011 Leave a comment

5/5

Douglas Trumball’s 1972 sci-fi classic Silent Running is a bleak look at a future devoid of nature and wildlife, where the last remaining specimens are preserved in huge, greenhouse-like geodesic domes attached to a fleet of space-freighters just outside the orbit of Saturn. A film that has received a relatively cult status due to its inherently green message (which has never been as efficacious as now), it seems to have aged well, outstripping many of its counterparts in what was a golden period for cinema.

The film follows a lone botanist and ecologist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) aboard one of the freighters, whose job it is to protect the natural habitats before their eventual reforestation on earth. When orders are given to destroy the domes, Lowell turns renegade, deciding instead to do everything he can to save them.

The original score from bassoonist and P.D.Q Bach creator Peter Schickele features performances from folk singer-songwriter Joan Baez. However a new project from Sheffield-based instrumental post-rock band 65daysofstatic sees an enlightening new live score produced for the Glasgow Music Film Festival.

The dimly-lit cavernous setting of The Arches complete with pipes and cabling provides a suitable backdrop for the performance, helping the audience get completely immersed in the spectacle.

Whilst the original seemed to contain a somewhat free spirited sentiment due to its orchestral folk prominence, hence retaining a powerful message due to its juxtaposition against the overwhelming emptiness of space, 65days have opted for an epic approach of industrial synths, drum samples, guitars and keyboards to create a captivating atmosphere that blends nicely with lead actor Bruce Dern’s role.

Commissioned by the GMFF as their first film score, 65days do brilliantly to retain the continuity of the film; enhancing the dramatic narrative and emotional impact of the scenes rather than simply having a 90-minute jam. Their precision and timing is so astute that the whole piece comes together like a carefully calculated system, synchronizing with the plot in a scarring mechanical fashion.

Known for their experimental attitude toward music incorporating all manner of blips and glitches, 65days appears perfect for the science-fiction genre. It allows them to explore the various themes of the film whilst giving it a futuristic edge.

The end result is a far cry from Trumball’s original, which emphasized the loneliness of space and the deterioration of mankind. However, its reinterpretation is one that is both innovative and highly entertaining, creating a prodigious eruption of sound which fits perfectly with the film’s beatific visuals. Let’s just hope this project isn’t their last.

Taken from The Student, published Tue Mar 1st 2011.

Filed under Film, Music Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 75 other followers