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Carl Davis Conducts His Original Scores to Charlie Chaplin's Mutual Filmsat "Celebrate Brooklyn"

Jun. 26, 2008

Faber Music composer Carl Davis has composed scores to over 30 silent films and, along with a team of innovative film restorers, has revived the lost art form of Live Cinema - the fusion of film and live music. On August 1, Brooklyn-born Davis returns home and joins the "Celebrate Brooklyn" festival to lead the New York based chamber orchestra The Knights through his original scores to the Chaplin short films The Rink, The Immigrant and The Adventurer. These three films are part of the Chaplin Mutual films, a set of 12 short films Chaplin made for the American film company Mutual and regarded by many Chaplin connoisseurs as the finest achievements of his whole career. Davis' scores mirror Chaplin's use of sentimental and comic styles; in turn poignant and witty, the music illuminates the narrative from moment to moment. The clarity of the restored cinematography accompanied by the spectacle of a live orchestra performing Davis' dynamic scores enable these classic films to be experienced as never before. The composer comments on the project:
The Mutuals are a fascinating group of films because they serve as a bridge between Chaplin's apprenticeship days, working for other companies and not always being in control of the material, to this series where he was still not his own boss but was afforded far greater artistic freedom. For the orchestration of these scores I had something very specific in mind. To Charlie just hearing a lone piano smacked of poverty and when he made his feature films they were very opulently scored for large symphony orchestra. So, with these "bridging" films I decided to have an orchestra but one of more modest, chamber proportions. I used a consistent line-up of 16 musicians including string quartet plus bass, and this is the "sound" that goes through all 12 movies. What is interesting to me is that because each film has its own unique character and atmosphere, within this group of 16 players I was able to reflect all the various moods and orchestral needs that these films required.

Carl Davis and The Knights perform this selection of The Chaplin Mutual films on August 1 at the Prospect Park Band Shell at 7:30 PM.

For more on the music of Carl Davis, go to www.fabermusic.com.

For more information on "Celebrate Brooklyn", go to www.celebratebrooklyn.org.

Carl Davis
The Adventurer
premiere with score (2001)
1(pic).1.2.1-2110-perc(1 or 2)-pno-str(1.1.1.1.1)
20'

The Immigrant
premiere with score (1991)
1(pic).1(ca).2.1-2110-perc(1 or 2)-hp*-pno-str(1.1.1.1.1)
26'
* optional - alternative piano part available with harp cues

The Rink
premiere with score (2003)
1(pic)1.2.1-2110-perc(drum kit)pno-str(1.1.1.1.1)
22'

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