The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - Nov. 12
Prime Performance - Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 7:30pm
Arguably the first true horror film and one considered the quintessential work of German Expressionist cinema, this silent film from 1920 is accompanied by an original score composed by Brett L. Wery performed live by wind ensemble Quintocracy. As the young Francis recounts his experience with the mysterious Dr. Caligari, the movie veers into mystique, metaphor and murder on the winding path to one of cinema's most seminal twists. Imbued with layers of meaning, its distorted sets, sinister shadows and unnerving characters created a paranoid, unreal world at a time of despair throughout Europe.
- Free admission
- No tickets required
Quintocracy web site Composer web site Film trailer
Program
This performance is part of a series spotlighting local artists. Funding support provided by the Department of Music and Theatre, University at Albany Foundation and University Auxiliary Services and the Alumni Association, through the Grandma Moses Fund. Promotional support provided by the NYS Writers Institute.
Brett L. Wery is an active area composer/arranger and former conductor of UAlbany’s Symphony Orchestra. He is the Music Director/Conductor of the Capital Region Wind Ensemble in Schenectady and composer/editor for Sonata Grendel Publishing in Scotia. He was recently named Visiting Artist in Residence in Winds and Director of the Wind Ensemble at Williams College. For twenty-five years he taught theory, conducting and applied woodwind studies at SUNY Schenectady County Community College where he also directed the college wind ensemble and was dean of the School of Music.
Wery’s compositions have been performed and recorded around the world. His 2013 String Quartet was the 2021 Grand Prize winner of the Classic Pure Vienna International Music Competition. In addition to composing and conducting, Wery is an active woodwind doubler -performing on flute, clarinet and saxophone.
Quintocracy is a wind ensemble based in the Capital Region featuring Melanie Chirignan on flute, Susan Loegering Daves on bassoon, Kelly Lockwood on oboe and Kathryn Svatek on horn. They will be joined for this performance by guest artist Allegra Smith on clarinet. Through interactive concerts highlighted by superb artistry and engaging commentary, the group’s goal is to break the dusty, classical ensemble mold in support of their belief that music is for all and that the music around us should be as diverse as the culture in which we live.
With funding from Saratoga Arts through their Community Arts Regrant Program, Quintocracy commissioned Wery to compose the score for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. This is the ensemble’s second commissioning project for film. Previously Quintocracy worked with Sina Kiai who composed a score for the group to accompany F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu.
This event is one of three this season that shines a spotlight on local artists as part of the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s Prime Performance Series. Others area performers include Capital Trio and the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company who are collaborating to offer an evening of dance with live music on Saturday, January 27, 2024 and the program History is Her Story on Sunday, March 3, 2024 which will feature four local storytellers spinning yarns about strong and influential women.