On his third appearance at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas from March 8 to 10, 2002, conductor/composer Carl Davis chose to pay tribute to the era of the steam locomotive with Full Steam Ahead. Having composed a multitude of pieces for theatre, ballet, film, television and concert halls, Davis’ credits include compositions for the BBC’s renowned TV series Pride and Prejudice and scoring for films like Champions, Scandal, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Ken Russell’s The Rainbow as well as Mike Leigh’s Topsy Turvy.
A native of New York, Davis has also recorded numerous classical albums with various orchestras including The Royal Philharmonic, The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, The English Chamber Orchestra, The London Philharmonic and the Philharmonia. His versatility and penchant for music has led him to the composition of scores for silent movies. Bringing the silent classics to life with a clash of the timpani or the excited trill of the piccolo, he has weaved his magic on such timeless films such as The Phantom of the Opera (1925) and Abel Gance’s Napoleon.
The vigorous ringing of a bell signaled the beginning of Davis’ tribute to the mighty trains of years gone by. As if to prepare them for the exhilarating evening ahead, the evening included three rousing polka pieces by Eduard Strauss, each played in between the three short films that were screened during the first half of the concert. Polka Gallop “Fast Track” (Op.45) took the audience on a short and breathless dance round the railway tracks. Two more Strauss polkas were played in between the screenings. The Polka Schnell: Steam Up! (Op.70) gave the impression of a train chugging along on its long journey while Polka: “With the Brakes Off!” (Op.238) was a gay little jig paying tribute to the new era of freedom in travel that came about with the arrival of Karl Benz’s first petrol-powered motorcar.
First to appear on the screen suspended just in front of the Klais Pipe Organ was The Great Train Robbery, a black and white short from 1903 with an original score by Davis himself. Inspired by a real robbery that was carried out by four members of the infamous Butch Cassidy’s “Hole in the Wall” gang, the film is a classic Western flick complete with galloping horses and gunfights. The orchestra’s timing here was near perfect, with the percussionists providing the all-important effects of shots being fired.
Next was Night Mail, a 1930’s documentary about the London Midland Scottish railway’s Royal Mail delivery service over the course of a single 24-hour period. Accompanied by Benjamin Britten’s composition and spoken verse written by poet WH Auden, the journey came to life. A unique and highly entertaining piece with principal violinist Miranda Playfair showing off her ‘hidden’ talent as the voice for Auden’s poetry.
Pacific 231 (named after a steam engine) followed with a composer’s attempt at making the orchestra sound like a mighty locomotive. Arthur Honegger’s composition uses a variety of discordant effects and innovative arrangements to make the audience feel as if they were coming face to face with the train itself. Starting off slow and picking up its pace as the piece progresses, the orchestra turned in a vivid performance of Honegger’s work, helped in no small way by the images that flashed by on the screen.
The main feature of the evening was, of course, Buster Keaton’s The General, in which the famous silent actor plays a train engineer named Johnny Gray. Based on a true story, The General tells the story of how a quick thinking Southern railway man saves the day during the American Civil War. Here, Davis’ wonderfully written score worked so well with the images that the audience soon became unaware of the orchestra sitting beneath the suspended screen. Lost in the magic of the moment and buoyed by the music, time flew by for those watching, testament once more to the amazing skills of Maestro Carl Davis.
First Published: 26.03.2002 on Kakiseni