The Joy of Silence - Accordo at the Schubert Club

(Originally posted on Minnesota Theater Love)

Tonight was my first night in the new Ordway Concert Hall. I was there for a performance from Accordo as part of the Schubert Club. If you have not been yet, it is the remodel of the smaller Ordway theater. The new space is very white with a dark brown wooden stage and ceiling. The acoustics are remarkable - to the point that even whispered conversations by the ushers can be heard very clearly. The main floor is broken into three sections. The first tier has seats on the sides and the back of the stage, while the seats facing the stage are in long rows. There is good legroom, however it was still tough passing by other audience members to get to my middle seats.

The audience seemed to be a standard Schubert club audience - mainly white and a bit on the older side. However due to the program, there were some younger kids there. The program was two new string quartets written by Stephen Prutsman. They were both performed by Accordo, recently named the "best chamber ensemble" by the Mpls Star Tribune. Now two string quartets may not be that exciting but what made them exciting is that they were being played as the soundtrack to two classic silent films.

The first film was the classic mystery, and super stylized "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." It is a 1920 German horror film that is known for its Expressionist design through out. The streets and backdrops are all angled with great light and dark designs. It is a fascinating film and the score was perfect. There was a melodic and haunting waltz theme, as well as the expected discordant sounds of any horror film score. The discordant sounds were also seemed to fit the 1920's Expressionist theme as it seems that the time period was also a time to experiment with twelve-tone techniques in music.  What struck me as odd was the amount of giggling and chuckling during this classic film. Sure, a lot of the acting was very over-the-top but that is to be expected in silent films. Maybe the audience wasn't expecting it, and luckily it didn't distract too much from the film and the great score.

The second film as the very funny "Sherlock Jr." This Buster Keaton film was filled with humor and slapstick, along with some amazing stunts and sight gags. The composer, Stephen Prustman, made an announcement before this second half, asking the audience to feel free to laugh, sigh with the lovely girl, cheer on the hero and boo the villain. The audience took this to heart which made the film even better. To top this whole experience off, the score was piece for a string quartet and piano. The composer played piano and it was a perfect score. It had the exact type of piano playing you would expect to go along a silent film, along with some great string playing and some percussion. There were sections that sounded very much like Erik Satie, and a charming portion where the string players all played kazoos!

All in all it was a great evening of music and visuals. And honestly, despite the cold and some trouble finding parking, downtown St. Paul (especially Rice Park) is just gorgeous after dark. Add to that the lightest bit of snow and it is near perfection.