Sunday, October 07, 2012

Maria Luisa Sogaro and Emanuela Gobbo: Striking a New Note (Pordenone 2012 introduction)

A colpi di note / Striking a New Note 2012

"We have arrived at the sixth edition of “Striking a New Note”, a special laboratory which aims to assess the indissoluble links between music and silent cinema. And if for the children musical experience is the connecting link guiding the interpretation of reality, a concrete approach like making music for a film can contribute to forming a public that is more attentive and aware. This year two schools that are veterans of the project will take part, the Scuola Media Centro Storico of Pordenone, coordinated by Professor Maria Luisa Sogaro, the original inspiration of the laboratory who has been involved in every edition since the beginning, and the Scuola Media “Leonardo da Vinci” of Cordenons, coordinated by Professor Emanuela Gobbo. Their contribution to the world’s most hilarious couple is at the same time a celebration of the brilliant genius of Leo McCarey, whom we came to know when making music for Pass the Gravy in the first edition of “Striking a New Note”."

A project by Mediateca Pordenone di Cinemazero; with the support of Banca Popolare FriulAdria-Crédit Agricole.

Scuola Media Centro Storico, Pordenone

"The musical group is two-thirds renewed and has chosen, by open vote, a film reluctantly rejected last year: the aptly titled We Faw Down (1928), directed by Leo McCarey, with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. With the passing of the years and the succession of the young musicians, some faithful actors in the project and other temporary collaborators, Silvia Moras (coordinator of the “Striking a New Note” project) and I have recognized that the activity is always more determined by their work and their autonomy of judgement."

"We are ever more convinced Busterphiles, even while broadening our horizons towards other extraordinary comedy of the early cinema. This year we have introduced the children to the work of Harold Lloyd and many of them are very enthusiastic for Hugo Cabret and the graphic novel from which it is adapted."

"The musical choices: at the start of the film we use a fox-trot dedicated to Anna Fougez, with words by Armando Gill and music by Giuseppe Vacca di Michele. The other sequences are accompanied by references to themes by Scott Joplin. The selections and the sound effects have also been chosen with the group."

"The instrumentation gives prominence to the xylophone section (soprano, two contralti, and a bass), and includes two guitars together with flute, recorders, glockenspiel, piano, and sound effects. Finally we must emphasize the community of aim with the Scuola Media “Leonardo da Vinci” of Cordenons and our very dear colleague Emanuela Gobbo, with whom we produced the 2009 edition." MARIA LUISA SOGARO

Scuola Media “Leonardo da Vinci”, Cordenons

"It is an honour for us, the secondary school, first grade “Leonardo da Vinci” of Cordenons, to be able to participate for the second time in “A colpi di note”. The slapstick comedy for which we have created music is Liberty (1929), directed by Leo McCarey, with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, comedians who have recently become more familiar to new generations thanks to television. The comic play of the title and a prelude of patriotic style is followed by … a surprise. This has given us the idea of building our score using the theme of Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony. Obviously 18th-century music is not quite the right flavouring for a slapstick comedy of the 1920s, so we have taken the liberty of swinging it a little. As well as Haydn we have used themes from Schubert and the contemporary composer Remo Vinciguerra, always moving between classic and swing. The instrumentation which we have adopted is characteristic of the teaching in our school: flute, recorders, glockenspiel, two acoustic guitars, two keyboards, a clarinet, and of course many objects for sound effects." – EMANUELA GOBBO

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