WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007, AT 8 PM
A spine-chilling Halloween showing of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, one of the best-known horror film classics, accompanied by organ virtuoso Clark Wilson improvising a spooky score on the Walt Disney Concert Hall's magnificent pipe organ, takes place on Wednesday, October 31, at 8 p.m. The groundbreaking 1920 silent film, directed by Robert Wiene, is one of the earliest, most influential and artistically acclaimed films in the German Expressionist genre.
Clark accompanied the 1925 silent Phantom of the Opera in 2004 for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association in Walt Disney Concert Hall as a part of the organ's inaugural season and returned for Halloween in 2005 and 2006 with the restored silent films Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Clark is resident organist and organ conservator at the famed Ohio Theatre in Columbus, Ohio and was chosen to revive the renowned Chicago Theatre Organ. He also headed the professional crew that began restoration on the Chicago's landmark Wurlitzer.
In addition to this annual Halloween silent film event, the Philharmonic's Organ Recital series continues in 2007/08 with four programs by visiting organists. British virtuoso Thomas Trotter performs on November 25, 2007; Los Angeles organist Anthony Newman returns to his hometown of Los Angeles for a January 6, 2008, concert; Cathedral of Notre Dame organist Olivier Latry's program on February 3, 2008, includes music by Messiaen; and minimalist composer Terry Riley, perhaps best known for his groundbreaking In C, performs an organ recital which includes the world premiere of his own new work for solo organ on May 25, 2008.
Christoph Bull, University Organist at UCLA, is featured at Upbeat Live, a pre-concert event in BP Hall free to all ticket holders one hour prior to the October 31 concert.
Organist CLARK WILSON began his musical training at age nine in his native Ohio. While growing up he accompanied numerous stage musicals and was organist at several churches. Following several years with the Schantz Organ Company as a reed voicer and tonal finisher, Clark's professional playing career began with his appointment to the featured organist post at Pipe Organ Pizza in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has also been on the playing staff at the Paramount Music Palace in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Pipes and Pizza in Lansing, Illinois. Currently he is on the staff of Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, Arizona, where he also assisted with the planning and installation of the world's largest Wurlitzer organ. Clark's recording credits include seven albums. He has given all-transcription recitals for the AGO, played for the 1990 Organ Historical Society convention, and performed at numerous National and Regional conventions of the ATOS. He is a visiting lecturer on the Theater Organ and silent picture scoring for the Indiana University organ department. He has concertized in the United States, Canada, Australia and England, and done extensive silent film accompaniment, including at the Fox Theatre for the Atlanta premiere of the restored Metropolis. Along with a busy concert schedule, Wilson heads his own pipe organ business and is heavily in demand as a tonal consultant and finisher of both theater and classical pipe organs. He has received both the Technician of the Year and Organist of the Year awards from the American Theatre Organ Society, the only person to have done so, and his time is now nearly equally divided between concert and technical work. He has been professionally involved with more than 100 organ installations throughout North America and England and has provided voicing expertise for several different organ companies.
The WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL ORGAN was inaugurated at the opening of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in fall of 2004. Designed by Frank Gehry and Manuel Rosales of Rosales Organ Builders, the Walt Disney Concert Hall organ contains pipes ranging in size from a pencil to a telephone pole, and is voiced with a wide dynamic range from pianississimo to a breathtaking fortissimo. The specially curved wood façade pipes were made by Glatter-Götz Orgelbau of solid, vertical grain Douglas fir and consist of the Violone and Bassoon basses. Behind the facade are three levels of pipes, including metal pipes made of tin and lead alloys and wood pipes made of Norwegian pine.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association's involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007, AT 8 PM
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles
THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
CLARK WILSON, ORGAN
Christoph Bull, University Organist at UCLA, is featured at Upbeat Live, a pre-concert event in BP Hall free to all ticket holders one hour prior to the October 31 concert.
Tickets ($15-$52) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($15) will be released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Recital, and Baroque Variations performances beginning at noon on the Tuesday of the second week prior to the concert. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.
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Adam Crane, 213.972.3422, acrane@laphil.org; Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310, rroe@laphil.org; Photos: 213.972.3034