Piano Themes from the
Silent Screen
A new CD recording of solo piano music
composed and performed by
Kevin Purrone,
produced by
Richard
Meyer and the
San Francisco Silent Film
Festival,
and engineered by Stan Sollars.
Films made before the coming of sound were never meant to be screened in
silence.
They were accompanied by solo instruments such as the piano, small organ
or a mighty
Wurlitzer theater organ which recreated sound effects and filled the
auditorium with
the equivalent of "surround sound." In large cities, full
symphony orchestras played scores
written to accompany the picture. In smaller towns, bands, studio
orchestras, string
quartets and a variety of other instruments were used. Recorded music
was utilized
in many instances.
The concert grand piano heard on this recording is played by Kevin
Purrone who composed
the scores to accompany the six films. Each display the mood and style
of the film.
As in opera, the music has themes for the major characters as well as
the narrative
itself.
The Films:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Nosferatu (1922)
The Lost World (1925)
Sunrise (1927)
Love & Duty (Lian 'ai Yu Yiwu) (1931)
The Peach Girl (Taohua Qi Xue Ji) (1931)
The Artists:
Kevin Purrone, Composer and Performer:
Kevin Purrone has
performed and improvised
throughout the United States and Europe. He is an award winning composer
and an ASCAP affiliate. He won great acclaim for his performance at the
San Francisco Silent Film Festival ("The Peach Girl"), and has been
active creating scores for the silent film genre. He has taught at
several universities.
Richard J. Meyer, Writer and Producer.
Richie Meyer is the president of
the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. He has had a distinguished
career in public broadcasting as an award winning producer and
executive. He holds the Ball Endowed Professorship at Ball State
University.
Stan Sollars, Director and Recording Engineer.
Engineer and
Director Stan Sollars is a recent Emmy nominee for sound recording. He
teaches audio production at Ball State University, and has produced 75
hours of weekly historical programs and specials for National Public
Radio. He has won numerous regional and national awards for radio
program writing, performance and production.
To Order online:
The San Francisco Silent Film
Festival
or Call (415) 777 4908
Fax (415) 777 4904
or mail to
833 Market St. Suite 311
San Francisco, CA 94103-1820
Send $14.99 plus 2.00 postage and handling for each CD
