Legendary Composer William Perry – Creating the Score, Silent to Sound

William Perry, in his famous “Stravinsky pose”

William Perry, born in Elmira, New York in 1930, has wholly embraced his destiny. Dedicated in the fullest harmonious measure, empowered by creativity and letting the aspects of it flow freely, infused with a joie de vivre and tireless enthusiasm, he has long been acknowledged as one of the most brilliant and accomplished composers and producers in the world of film music.

William Perry on location filming Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in Kentucky, 1985. Barnard Hughes, who played The King, poses with Butterfly McQueen in costume as the Blind Negress, and Perry.

William Perry (centre) with two leading scholars of the Peter Warlock Society, Robert Beckhard and Malcolm Rudland. Says Perry, “The Society is located in England, and I have been for many years the President of the North American Chapter. Warlock, whose real name was Philip Heseltine, was a minor but celebrated English composer (1894-1930), and influences from his music sometimes turn up in my work.”

http://www.empressbooks.com/newsletter/Wm_Perry_2016/article.html

The Empress Interview: In discussion with William Perry about his Music for Silent Film, Film and Television, and the Stage

William Perry: These photos reflect my inspirational background work for Toujours Provence, and are quite colorful. The second movement of the upcoming Toujours Provence orchestral suite celebrates the fields of lavender (top) photo for which Provence is famous. The third movement is a depiction of Van Gogh’s famous “Café Terrace at Night” painting. The café (bottom), which is in Arles, pretty much exists as it did in Van Gogh’s day.

Patrick Day, Lillian Gish and William Perry on an exterior location set of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, broadcast on American Playhouse in 1986. (Photo: John Seakwood)

http://www.empressbooks.com/newsletter/Wm_Perry_2016/interview.html

Review: William Perry’s Music for Great Films of the Silent Era – The Gemini Concerto

William Perry, far right: At the premiere of the Gemini Concerto on May 8, 2010, performed by the Albek Duo – violinist Ambra, far left, and pianist Fiona to the right of Paul Phillips, conducting the Pioneer Valley Symphony. Next to me is my wife, Marina, a ballerina from the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow; she provided a visual element during the Concerto with signs and costumes introducing each of the cities and countries in the various movements.

http://www.empressbooks.com/newsletter/Wm_Perry_2016/review_Gemini.html

Review: William Perry’s Music for Great Films of the Silent Era – The Three Rhapsodies

Conductor Paul Phillips who led the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra for both William Perry CD recordings of Music for Great Films of the Silent Era

Michael Chertock, chair of the piano department at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, and who appeared as piano soloist in selections on both Music for Great Films of the Silent Era CDs, shares that “William Perry’s music is a perfect reflection of his personality: irrepressibly enthusiastic, colorful, optimistic and lyrical. My first opportunity to play the piano parts of the rhapsodies for Bill was actually over the phone! Bill is a very generous spirit, and he made only a few small suggestions about tempi and phrasing.

http://www.empressbooks.com/newsletter/Wm_Perry_2016/review_three_rhapsodies.html

 

Review: William Perry’s Music for Great Films of the Silent Era – Six Title Themes in Search of a Movie

Soloist Soprano Helen Kearns, 2014 (Photo: Jean-baptiste Millot)

http://www.empressbooks.com/newsletter/Wm_Perry_2016/six_title_themes.html

William Perry – the Vienna Connection to The Mark Twain Films

William Perry: In an editing session in Vienna for The Mysterious Stranger with the celebrated Swiss/American recording engineer, Marc Aubort, 1982.

http://www.empressbooks.com/newsletter/Wm_Perry_2016/Mark_Twain_films.html

 

Show 8 – The Ultimate Movies Broadcast – The Literary Prose & Poem Corner 2

https://soundcloud.com/ultimate-movies-podcast/the-literary-prose-poetry-corner-2

Welcome to Show 8 of the Ultimate Movies Broadcast, November 2016. Another mini-show, we’re featuring the 2nd installment of The Literary Prose & Poetry Corner.

Toronto area poet and writer, Lawrence Arthur Kosowan, attended the same high school as Lorraine Dmitrovic, and they sang in the school choir together. They have known each other since 1972. Today Lawrence, also known as Larry, participates in many local area writing groups, and he recently did a reading at the first hugely successful ‎Scarborough Arts‎ – Art in the Park: Harrison Properties event held in Toronto this past August. For mini-show 8, Lawrence reads his two prose poem works “Ten Days into April” and “A Light Sketch,” copyright 2016.

This show, co-host Lorraine Dmitrovic reads from her romance-mystery novel set in 1933 Hollywood. A true mystery, I can’t reveal the name of the novel, written and copyright 1999 and released in 2000. She wrote her novel under a pen name, which shall also remain a mystery. She originally wrote the romance novel, part one of a trilogy, as though she were watching a movie unfolding upon the big screen.

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-Creative & text, intros and outro: Lorraine Dmitrovic
-The Ultimate Broadcast Show theme, intro and bridge music composed and performed by Trevor Giampieri. The Ultimate Broadcast Show theme, intro and bridge music Copyright © 2016 : Trevor Giampieri
-Sound editing/mixing: Trevor Giampieri & Lorraine Dmitrovic

Legendary Composer William Perry – Creating the Score, Silent to Sound

http://empressbooks.com/newsletter/Wm_Perry_2016/cover.html

Composer William Perry for many years has been a driving force in seeing silent films re-emerge as small screen and special venue entertainment.

His popular The Silent Years series (1971 and 1975) on PBS were hosted by Orson Welles and Lillian Gish.

In the 1980s, TV productions on American Playhouse and Great Performances featured actresses Lillian Gish and Butterfly McQueen, and actors Christopher Makepeace, Bernard Hughes and a young Christoph Waltz . In the film featuring Waltz in an early role, The Mysterious Stranger (1982), Perry conducted his own score with The Vienna Symphony and the Vienna Boys Choir in Austria. (The scores would be issued on Perry’s “The Innocents Abroad and other Mark Twain films” CD.)

As a composer of film scores and creator and producer of stage musicals such as the long-running Mr. Mark Twain (and which should soon see a revival on a smaller scale), Perry has and will continue to compose internationally themed major works for orchestra and soloists.