Scott Good

Silent film masterpiece of horror and romance, with live orchestra.

 

Running time: 2hrs20min (incl. intermission)

(solo soprano, solo piano - *2*2*22/4231/H/T/2P/Strings)

 

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The Hands of Orlac is a superb example of the introduction of expressionism in German/Austrian silent movies in the 1920s.  The story revolves around concert pianist Paul Orlac (Conrad Veidt) who loses his hands in a horrific railway accident.  His wife Yvonne (Alexandra Sorina) pleads with a surgeon to try and save Orlac’s hands for without them he will not live. The surgeon decides to transplant the hands of a recently executed murderer named Vasseur. When Orlac learns this, the horror of having a murderer’s hands obsesses him.

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When first shown in the 1920s it was deemed "Likely to endanger public order and safety" by the Ministry of the Interior of Saxony.  

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This score for full symphony orchestra, filled with creative mayhem, captures the light and shadow of the movie from its tragic start to it fast-moving climax.

 

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Review: The Hands of Orlac - Modernist Score at Its Finest

MGR Radio

 

ex. "This concert brought an incredible, modern, brand-new score, world-class musicians, and an intimate venue together in a night of music that I certainly won’t be one to let go of in the near future."

 

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