VOICES OF LIGHT: The Passion of Joan of Arc
Mar. 21, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Mar. 22, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
Auditorium
Silent Film:
The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Dreyer, 1928
Oratorio for Soloists, Chorus and Full Orchestra by Richard Einhorn
Guest Soloists TBA, Music Society Orchestra & Music Society Chorale
Conducted by Jim Hohmeyer
Voices of Light: The Passion of Saint Joan is a complete experience. . . emotional, intellectual and spiritual. . . that will stir your soul.
Declared one of the top ten films ever created, Carl Dreyer’s 1928 silent film
The Passion of Joan of Arc was hailed for its unbelievable power, realistic acting style and ground-breaking film techniques. Using the actual extant transcripts from Joan of Arc’s trial for heresy in 1437 and visionary film techniques, Dreyer had captured the 16-year-old’s emotional turmoil with great insight and depth.
The film’s mysterious history mirrors Joan of Arc’s own tumultuous 500-year path from heretic to sainthood. Twice thought lost completely to fire, for over 50 years all that remained of the original film were incomplete knock-offs cobbled together from inferior outtakes and deeply edited to satisfy extremists within both church and state.
In a bizarre turn of events, a nearly perfect copy of the film was discovered in 1988 in the closet of a Norwegian institute for the insane, where it had apparently been ordered by a doctor in 1930 and then forgotten.
Once lovingly restored, viewing the film so moved composer Richard Einhorn that he was driven to write a work for soloists, chorus and orchestra to be performed live during viewings of the film. Using texts from the writings of medieval mystics and other compelling poets and visionaries, along with the music techniques beautifully reminescent of medieval choral works, live performance of Einhorn’s hauntingly moving
Voices of Light perfectly completes the film-viewer’s experience, for the classical music aficianado as well as the most casual of music listeners.
The result is a rare and emotionally compelling experience that has had sold-out houses rising to their feet from such critically-acclaimed halls as Kennedy Center to Avery Fisher Hall in London. And now. . . at Midland Center for the Arts. . . live. . . for one weekend only.
Call the Ticket Office for Subscription Information,
989-631-8250. Single tickets on sale August 25, 2008.
Admission: $20 all seats
Single tickets go on sale August 25, 2008.
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