L: Ashley Hribar | R: Bobby Mitchell
On every cinephile’s favorites list, "Sunrise," stands as one of the greatest and most exciting films. Now, you can see it with a brand new score live, and right here in Coral Gables.
On Thursday, April 18, Dranoff and the Coral Gables Art Cinema will partner for “2 Pianos and the Music of Silent Films” a first ever Miami showing of the Oscar-winning film "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans."
Winner of three Academy Awards and voted in the top five silent films of all time, "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" is presented by the Coral Gables Art Cinema and Dranoff with international piano stars Bobby Mitchell and Ashley Hribar. The live two-piano performance features a brand-new score of Chopin, Ravel, Strauss, Gershwin and Duke Ellington, along with original music scored for the film.
Directed by F.W. Murnau (he was behind those fabulous oldies, "Nosferatu" and the original "Dracula"). "Sunrise" is an exciting tale of temptation, lust, and loss, and represents a new technological step in the evolution from silent film to talkies. "Sunrise" is the first film to have a musical score and sound effects recorded directly on the film. The live performance of two piano and percussion sound effects by Bobby Mitchell and Ashley Hribar may be one of the few live performances ever done for this film.
In the very first Academy Awards ceremony "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" won best actress for Janet Gaynor. "Sunrise" also won Oscars in the cinematography and most artistic categories.
Bored with his wife (JGaynor), their baby and the dull routine of farm life, a farmer (George O'Brien) falls under the spell of a flirtatious city girl (Margaret Livingston) who convinces him to drown his wife so they can escape together. When his wife becomes suspicious of his plan and runs away to the city, the farmer pursues her, slowly regaining her trust as the two rediscover their love for each other in this award-winning silent classic. It was released on Sept. 23, 1927.
The two pianists, Mitchell and Hribar couldn't be more fitting to accompany the film.
Mitchell's interests are embedded in the here and now of music as performance art in combination with the more standard classical repertory of centuries past. He is active as a solo, duo and collaborative concert pianist on modern and historical instruments Experienced in the fields of improvisation, composition, and conducting, has led him to push the boundaries between composition and improvisation, interpretation and spontaneity, between traditional and brand-new repertoire. He has performed in such venues as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC (USA), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and the Adrienne Arsht Center (Miami, USA)
Hribar is an Australian born pianist-composer of German and Slovenian parentage. He has developed a reputation as a versatile musician embracing multimedia and silent film, world music and a broad range of traditional genres. His compositions are poly-stylistic collages often employing extended techniques, voice and the deployment of objects for sound effects. Recent works include Improvisation for piano and didgeridoo (2018), the soundtrack/dance score to the 1911 silent film Richard III, commissioned by Silents Now, U.K) and the silent film scores to The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (Wiene, 1922) and Faust (Murnau, 1926).
Thursday, April 18th at the Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon in Coral Gables. Film and concert 7:30pm. VIP tickets are $100 and include preferred seating and a pre-concert Bacardi & light bite reception at 6:30pm. General Admission is $50 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at www.gablescinema.com
