Selections from their acclaimed score to F.W. Murnau's 1922 vampire classic "Nosferatu," conjuring up creeping shadows and gorgeously sinister landscapes with hints at Satie, Debussy, Tom Waits and Bernard Herrmann. Elegant Halloween mood music.
"Into the Land of Phantoms" is an elegant, eerie journey led by cello, violin, marimba and orchestral percussion- hanging like velvet curtains around Jill Tracy's signature dark parlor piano."
Described as "exquisite, lush, and positively poetic," the noirish compositions by Jill Tracy and The Malcontent Orchestra have developed a fervid following of devotees and critical acclaim. Their original score to F.W. Murnau's silent vampire classic "Nosferatu" has only enhanced the band's reputation of sophistication and musical virtuosity. The San Francisco Examiner described the score as "remarkable....lyrical and lovely." The Marin Independent called it "unforgettable." The San Francisco Chronicle hailed Nosferatu "deliciously macabre."
"I strive to honor the integrity of the film," explained composer/pianist Jill Tracy in a 1999 SF Gate interview during the filmscore's debut. I don't see Nosferatu as inciting horror or trepidation, as much as an unsettling allure. It's a beautiful, sensual work; the listener should surrender to the spell of the music as intensely as to the spell of the vampire."
For the past five years, Jill Tracy and The Malcontent Orchestra have performed the score live during the week of Halloween to the delight of Bay Area audiences. This is Jill Tracy's first instrumental album of this sort.
The beautifully designed booklet features artwork created from both the film's lavish scenes and the band in the theatre performing the work.
Jill Tracy and The Malcontent Orchestra:
Jill Tracy- grand piano
Alexander Kort- electric violoncello
Daniel Baer- violin
Randy Odell- marimba, drums and percussion |
