Moulin Rouge music for a silent film

Moulin Rouge: music for a silent film (2018)

for orchestra

2 fl; 2 ob; cl, b cl; 2 bsn
2 hn; 2 tpt
timp; perc (3 players)
strings

Duration: c. 15 minutes

Programme note:

Moulin Rouge: Music for a Silent Film is a reworking of a score originally composed in 2004 for the 1928 silent film directed by Ewald André Dupont and starring Russian actress Olga Tschechowa.

Although billed at the time as “Britain’s first Superfilm”, its visual language feels anything but British. The elaborate sets, expressive shadows and nuanced black-and-white photography evoke the style and atmosphere of contemporary German cinema. At its heart lies an archetypal love triangle set within the world of performance and entertainment, a setting that invites both glamour and moral ambiguity.

The score mirrors this dramatic breadth through a rich and varied musical palette, ranging from atmospheric, shadow-laden textures to vividly characterised social dances. Boisterous rhythms, shifting instrumental colours, and a sense of cinematic sweep shape the music throughout, underscoring both the spectacle and the emotional undercurrents of the film.

This new orchestration includes the following sections:

1 Paris – City of Temptation

2 Chateau Rochambeau

3 Balloons and Saxophones – Foxtrot

4 Maisons du Pré Modes

5 En noir et blanc – Rumba