http://www.pacificsymphony.org
A spine-tingling tale of alter egos becomes the center of Pacific Symphony’s evening of Halloween horror, when renowned organist Dennis James provides the soundtrack to the 1920 classic film, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” starring the legendary John Barrymore in the notorious title roles. Performing on the 4,322 pipes of the magnificent William J. Gillespie Concert Organ, silent film scholar James brings a haunting and historically authentic silent film experience to the 21st century, using musical accompaniment to provide every sonic dimension to the screen. Taking place Sunday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, James opens the concert with Bach’s eerie Toccata in D minor followed by Charles Gounod’s “Funeral March of a Marionette,” the theme used in Alfred Hitchcock’s television series. Tickets are $25-$55, for more information or to purchase tickets call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.
“Silent films were never meant to be presented silently,” says James. “From the beginning of the motion picture era at the turn of the 20th century, music was an expected element of the presentation, whether supplied by pianist, organist or band.”
For well over a century, innumerable stage plays and films based on Robert L. Stevenson’s 1886 novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” have entertained generations of theatergoers. But Adoph Zukor’s silent film production of the forces of good and evil that dwell within is remembered for Barrymore’s immortal portrayal of the noble Jekyll and the sinister Hyde, a transformation which he acheived mainly through control of his face and body, without the use of make-up.
Editing the film’s accompaniment to capture character’s “voices,” as well as the mood and rhythm of the action, James reviewed scores and sources of its era, preparing detailed cues to use in performance to match the drama on screen. As the evil Mr. Hyde slowly takes over the good-natured Jekyll, James’ soundtrack expresses the full range of emotion and vividness on a world-class concert organ. The one-of-a-kind William J. Gillespie Concert Organ, built from steel, tin, oak, poplar, maple, lead and carbon fiber, premiered at the first concert of Pacific Symphony’s 2008-09 season, after three years and 42,000 hours of labor by a team of organ builders at C.B. Fisk.
While putting the music to the film, James says, “I gauged whether it reflected an overall impression of each scene’s action, location and/or intended emotional content, while calculating when to highlight any specific dramatic events in the film. I looked for opportunities to give particular identifying themes to major characters, settings or recurring events as the basis for emotive alterations in synchronization with the film’s developments. I also looked for indications where the music could be continuous and where I could insert the ‘breath of life’ performance hesitations, pauses and dramatic silences so prominent in performance practice of the time.”
For more than 40 years, James has played a pivotal role in the international revival of silent films with live music. He began professional film accompaniment at Indiana University while he was a music student in the late 1960s and was appointed Hollywood’s International Ambassador of the Silent Film in 1998. James now tours under the auspices of the Silent Film Concerts production company, performing to silent films with solo organ, piano, and chamber ensemble accompaniments in addition to presentations with major symphony orchestras throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
James is renowned for providing the most comprehensive selection of authentic silent films with live music presentations available today, using his extensive personal scoring library—the largest such private collection in existence, with contributions from musicians, studios and libraries around the world. James also serves as house organist for the Historic Everett Theatre in Everett, Wash. and as theater organist for the San Diego Symphony.
The Symphony’s “Pedals and Pipes” organ series continues on Dec. 20 when sleigh bells ring with Todd Wilson in the “Holiday Organ Spectacular” featuring such season favorites as “O Holy Night,” “Sleigh Ride” and a Christmas carol sing-along. On March 11, 2012, the Symphony welcomes organist Hector Olivera to the hall for an organ recital of Bach, Liszt and more.
