Thu, 26 Aug 2010

Louis: A Silent Film with Live Music

The Chicago Symphony hosted the world premiere of Louis last evening, and I had snatched the (literally) last available ticket.

The film, which is written, directed and producted by Dan Pritzker, is based loosely on the early years of Louis Armstrong in New Orleans. The movie is shot beautifully by Vilmos Zsigmond in blend of colour and black-and-white which works very well for invoking the early days of film. A key part of the production is of course the score, and the live music with both a thirteen-piece orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis as well as piano solo recitals by Cecile Licad with an emphasis on pieces by 19th-century composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk. The combination of a silent movie with a stong live band is something to behold -- if you can catch the movie and performance in a city nearby, go!

/music/jazz/live | permanent link