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Faber Music Signs Laura Rossi's Acclaimed WWI Silent Film Scores

Jun. 04, 2015

Faber Music Signs Laura Rossi's Acclaimed WWI Silent Film Scores

Faber Music announces the signing of UK composer Laura Rossi’s acclaimed live orchestral scores to two iconic World War I silent films: The Battle of the Somme and The Battle of the Ancre, both of which are now available for live film performance with the restored film prints available from the Imperial War Museum (IWM).

The two films are stunning documentaries, comprising archive footage from these French campaigns of 1916 and 1917 respectively. They were originally screened in cinemas as part of the war effort. Laura Rossi's orchestral scores enhance these gripping and heart-rending images. Her score to the 74-minute The Battle of the Somme was commissioned by the Imperial War Museum in 2006 to mark the Great War's 90th anniversary. It was premiered on London's Southbank by the Philharmonia Orchestra and later recorded by them for DVD release. 

The Battle of the Ancre features a 65-minute score for chamber orchestra. The film is the sequel to The Battle of the Somme and contains evocative and haunting images of trench warfare. It also features the first recorded shots of tanks used at the Front. Laura's score was premiered at the IWM by the Ealing Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John Gibbons, and was screened with her recorded score at the London Film Festival in 2012. It is due to be released on DVD in 2016. 

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War in 2016, both films are scheduled to tour throughout the season across the UK and France, with both professional and amateur orchestras performing the score live with the film.

For more information on Laura Rossi, visit fabermusic.com.

The Battle of the Somme (2006)
silent film score
for orchestra
2(2.pic).2.2.2(2.cbsn)-4.3.3.1-timp.2/3perc-hp.pno-str
74’

The Battle of the Ancre (2012)
silent film score
for chamber orchestra
1.1.1.1-0.0.0.0-timp.perc-pno-str
65’

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