It’s always a cause for celebration when our artist in residence, Olga Pashchenko, takes to the stage. In the past, she has wowed audiences at AMUZ with concertos and recitals on an array of historical keyboards, but tonight she will be taking her place at a 1920 Bechstein grand for a unique mission: the live accompaniment to Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau’s legendary film Faust. This masterpiece was premièred exactly 100 years ago, becoming an immediate classic. It tells the story of the alchemist Faust, who sold his soul to Mephistopheles in exchange for youth, riches and love. The expressionist images are now given a timeless soundtrack with music by Liszt, Grieg, Busoni, Fauré, Franck and Scriabin. Jed Wentz compiled the programme: an astonishing puzzle that tallies surprisingly well with Murnau’s visual language. Pashchenko underpins the images with musical imagination. Every shot gets its sound, every scene its atmosphere. Cinema under a blanket of sound: a must for film fans and piano lovers.
Program
Music by F. Liszt, E. Grieg, F. Busoni, G. Fauré, C. Frank, A. Scriabin and others
Performers
Olga Pashchenko, piano | Jed Wentz, music compilation