Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror

After last year’s successful presentation of a new musical score for a silent film classic – Erotikon –, premiered in partnership between the Slovenian Cinematheque and Cankarjev dom, composer and pianist Andrej Goričar has again been commissioned to write a new score for a silent film. 
As the screening involves live music accompaniment, we decided to mark the centennial of the Symphony of Horror, a timeless silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau. Titled Nosferatu, it is based on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. An unauthorized adaptation, Nosferatu had a turbulent production history due to copyright infringement. Although the title and various names were altered, including Count Dracula being renamed Count Orlok, Stoker's heirs sued over the adaptation, and a court ruling ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed.

The history of silent film is also a history of destroyed or lost copies, as well as the miraculous survival of nitrate film print. That is why we have long been able to enjoy this eerie Transylvanian pastoral haunted by the image of Max Schreck as Count Orlok the vampire whose performance remains unparalleled in its sinister malevolence. 

The event has been produced in cooperation with RTV Slovenia, which will broadcast the musical accompaniment live as part of its ARS radio programme.

Live accompaniment: Orchestra of the Imaginary (Andrej Goričar, piano and conductor; Ana Julija Mlejnik, violin; Nejc Mikolič, viola; Milan Hudnik, cello; Janez Avšič, double bass; Jan Gričar, saxophone; Jakob Bobek, clarinet; Primož Zemljak, horn).