RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Composer: William Perry
Music for Great Films of the Silent Era, Vol. 2
Stream to April 6
There is probably nobody more enamoured of silent-era films than composer and producer William Perry. For 12 years, he was music director of the film department of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where he fell in love with the legendary stars of silent films simply by looking up at the screen while he accompanied them on the piano.
Perry's latest recording project is a second volume of his popular Music for Great Films of the Silent Era, streaming above until April 6. Ireland's RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Paul Phillips, and soloists include two Canadians: flutist Timothy Hutchins and mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta. This promotional video takes you behind the scenes:
"Wallis is a rare talent, remarkably bright, and takes direction extremely well," said Perry via telephone from his office in Pittsfield, Mass. He had been following Giunta's career as she rose rapidly and successfully in the ranks of young singers at the Metropolitan Opera, and suggested to her that she would be the right soloist for Silent Film Heroines, his song cycle for mezzo-soprano and orchestra that opens the new album.
Each of the cycle's eight movements is dedicated to a legendary silent-era heroine. Perry adapted the music he had composed to accompany their films, adding lyrics and a vocal line to complete the suite.
"He can write a beautiful ballad, or 11 o'clock number that immediately takes you back to another time," mezzo-soprano Giunta told us via email. "But his music truly comes from his soul, and tells his own story, too."
"His depth of musical knowledge simply blows me away," she added. "He has some pretty amazing stories about his life as a composer, and our rehearsals were peppered with anecdotes of his adventures and the illustrious characters he has met over the years. This man has had an astounding range of experiences in life, and he brings that richness to his composing."
In this video from the recording sessions in June 2014, Giunta sings Perry's "Peter Pan," invoking the silent film role that put New Jersey native Betty Bronson's name in lights back in 1924.
Also featured on Music for Great Films of the Silent Era, Vol. 2 is Perry's Summer Nocturne for Flute and Orchestra. While not directly associated with silent film, its principal theme comes from music Perry composed in 1972 for Three Wise Fools (1923), a film directed by King Vidor.
Montreal flutist Hutchins gave the concert premiere of Summer Nocturne in the early 1990s, and championed the work with subsequent performances with l'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Charles Dutoit.
Perry describes Hutchins as "a joy to work with," adding, "there isn't another North American flutist with his beauty of tone."
Ophi-what?
Speaking of tone, the sound of the ophicleide is not something you hear every day, and that's part of the appeal of Perry's four-movement concerto for ophicleide and orchestra, Brass from the Past.
A brass instrument with the keys of a saxophone, the ophicleide was favoured by Wagner and Berlioz, but was eventually pushed aside when the much louder tuba was invented. The ophicleide's decline coincided with the rise of the earliest silent films.
Perry, fascinated by the history of musical instruments, was browsing one day and discovered an album by ophicleidist Nick Byrne. He bought the CD, loved it and contacted Byrne to suggest a collaboration.
"I wanted to create a concerto for ophicleide and orchestra before everyone went rushing to compose one," says Perry, laughing.
Hearts of the World
The final work on the album, Hearts of the World, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the First World War and is based on Perry's score for the 1918 D.W. Griffith film of the same name. Here, Giunta is joined by baritone John Brancy, who sings and narrates.
Perry has composed for Broadway, and his writing includes elements of jazz, dance and Americana, and all of this comes to the fore in Hearts of the World, with 12 minutes of effusive passages for strings, colourful instrumental effects and nostalgia-tinged lyrics.
Download or pre-order William Perry: Music for Great Films of the Silent Era, Vol. 2 here.
Tracklist
Silent Film Heroines: A Song-suite for Mezzo-soprano and Orchestra
1. "Lillian Gish: Orphans of the Storm (1921)"
2. "Mary Pickford: Pollyanna (1920)"
3. "Greta Garbo: A Woman of Affairs (1928)"
4. "Gloria Swanson: Fine Manners (1926)"
5. "Vilma Bânky: The Night of Love (1927)"
6. "Betty Bronson: Peter Pan (1924)"
7. "Pearl White: The Perils of Pauline (1914)"
8. "Janet Gaynor: Seventh Heaven (1927)"
9. Summer Nocturne for Flute and Orchestra
Brass from the Past: Concerto for Ophicleide and Orchestra
10. "Blue Ophicleide"
11. "Military Ophicleide"
12. "Pastoral Ophicleide"
13. "Latin Ophicleide"
14. Hearts of the World
Follow Robert Rowat on Twitter: @rkhr
