DETAILS

LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN

Ernst Lubitsch was one of the greatest comedy directors from the 1910s through the 1940s. His films are infused with whimsy and witty use of off-screen space and symbolic objects, and he always brings the audience in on the joke.

For one of Lubitsch’s most charming silent comedies, a play by Oscar Wilde was transformed into a silent film. It may seem impossible to adapt Wilde’s verbal wit into a non-verbal medium, but Lubitsch rises to the task; expanding the play’s restricted timeline and settings to cinematic proportions, and replacing verbal witicisms with visual witicisms. In fact, only two lines from the play make it into the film. The result is a supremely subtle and well-acted comedy, especially with Irene Rich as Mrs. Erlynne, the woman with a mysterious past, and Ronald Colman, as the morally corrupt but charming Lord Darlington.

This new score was premiered at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in December 2017, and this is only the second performance. It is full of sparkling dance music, and some of the finest “photoplay music” available for silent film orchestras at the time the film was first seen.

Lady Windermere’s Fan will be presented with a score conducted by Rodney Sauer, who also arranged the music. Accompanying the film will be VSO Concertmaster Eva Richey, violin; Lauren Vander Lind, cello; Bruce Dunn, trumpet; Igor Shakhman, clarinet and Rodney Sauer, piano.

This event provides the perfect opportunity for concert attendees not only to watch the presentation in comfortable surroundings, but also enjoy wine, soft drinks and refreshments.

About Rodney Sauer
Arranger and pianist Rodney Sauer lives in Louisville, Colorado, and is the pianist and director of the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. With a large collection of music that once belonged to silent film theater music directors, Rodney has revived the art of “compiling” scores to silent films from music libraries for live performance and recordings. The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra has scored over 80 silent films, with over 30 recordings for silent films released on DVD by Kino Video, Image Entertainment, Milestone Films, Flicker Alley, the Criterion Collection, and others. Rodney is a regular performer of silent films scores at the Telluride Film Festival, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, the Kansas Silent Film Festival, and many other venues from coast to coast.

ABOUT THE VSO CHAMBER SERIES

Now in its seventh season, the series was co-created by Dr. Michael C. Liu, the VSO pianist and board member, and Dr. Igor Shakhman, VSO Executive Director and Principal Clarinet, to present great musicians playing in a very intimate setting. The content of each concert is unique, and most of the participating musicians are members of The Vancouver Symphony.

Prices are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Save money with one of the ticket packages!

ABOUT THE VENUE

Primarily known as a movie theater, the Kiggins Theatre was designed in the Art Deco style by architect Day Walter Hilborn and named for former Vancouver mayor and businessman John P. Kiggins. Opened in 1936, the theater was renovated and reopened in September 2011. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. The theatre is owned and operated by Dan Wyatt.