entertain

This Halloween, in want of costume parties and invitations that never arrived, I attended the San Francisco Symphony.  Yes, even on Halloween the symphony is playing.  But tonight wasn’t a typical performance of the best music on earth, tonight was Nosferatu.  Nosferatu is the first vampire film ever, and stars the original vampire, Max Schreck as “Count Orlok”.  The silent film is basically a retelling of Dracula (Bram Stocker). It was also a most appropriate choice by the SFS for their annual Halloween horror film showing (due in part to the recent Vampire craze) and as I entered Davies Symphony Hall the sellout crowd was festooned in all the latest vampirical paraphernalia known to man.

Besides a gloriously restored version of the 1922, German movie, directed by F. W. Murnau, the production featured the magnificent  8,264 pipe Ruffatti Organ (played by Dennis James) to provide the accompanying music for the film.  Two sound effects artists, Mark Goldstein and Todd Manley were also employed to further glorify it.

The mood was set as the organ opened with Bach’s Toccata and Fugue and as the film proceeded people in the audience began to laugh less and less and got in the mood.  For although many modern viewers dismiss this kind of expressionist film as old and corny, it is a true masterpiece of the era.  If one can get in the right mood to watch these kinds of films, they can be truly enjoyable.   I think the main reason the audience received it so well was the Organ’s huge baroque melody echoing throughout the chamber.  The sound effects were also a great addition to the production (original viewings would have included sound effects).  They did, however add a certain comical characteristic to the film that was not meant to be.  Sadly, this made the audience laugh in some fairly ominous moments.  But aside from these minor interruptions Nosferatu really was creepy.  The effect of Count Orlok’s  cutting and oh so toothy stare from across the hall and the organs spiraling chords provided for a much more chilling and exciting Halloween than I have experienced in a very long time.  In all, it was  quite a pleasurable evening and I would recommend the Symphony’s future Halloween concerts to everyone without a party to attend and even to those who do.

visit http://www.sfsymphony.org/ for more info about the SF Symphony