CELEBRATE YOUR HALLOWEEN with NOSFERATU
In the FULL FALL COLOR of FOXBURG
After an afternoon exploring in the beautiful FALL COLOR of the Allegheny-Clarion River Valley – hiking, shopping, gallery going, gourmet coffee and wine tasting – or enjoying a meal – Make it a Spooky, Musical HALLOWEEN TO REMEMBER on Saturday, October 28 at 7:30 PM in Lincoln Hall as Pittsburgh composer and world renowned stride pianist TOM ROBERTS performs his original score for the first horror silent film, “NOSFERATU: A Symphony of Horror” an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, as commissioned by the Pittsburgh Silent Film Society for its 100th Anniversary in 2022.
Sit back and enjoy the full screen presentation with the pianism of world renowned stride pianist and composer TOM ROBERTS, performing his original 300 page score for the movie NOSFERATU – the very “FIRST” horror silent movie.
OR Come in Costume to join the FUN with the return of ARCA’s popular Halloween Costume Parade and Competition: Come in Costume (perhaps a spooky costume – from the Adams Family – or a ghost– or anything of your fancy).
Halloween Candy – Trick or Treats – Beer and Wine for Sale.
Adults: $20 Students: $5 Children Under 6 FREE. Call to Reserve at 724-659-3153 to pay by cash or check at the door – or buy online here.
TOM ROBERTS is one of the leading exponents of early jazz piano in the world today (as stated by Ricardo Sciavales in The Heart and Soul of Stride, Blues, and Swing Piano). He has performed on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Statler Brothers Show on TNN, and A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. Tom was pianist for Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks in New York City and pianist and musical director for Leon Redbone for six years. Tom has recorded over 40 compact discs and has performed throughout the United States and Europe.
Here is ARCA audience favorite and virtuosic genius TOM ROBERTS – “one of the leading exponents of early jazz piano in the world today, (as stated by Ricardo Sciavales in The Heart and Soul of Stride, Blues, and Swing Piano), demonstrating why he is world renowned as a stride pianist!
For Lincoln Hall’s full screen premier of this iconic horror film, world-acclaimed stride pianist and composer Tom Roberts will perform his original score for the silent film Nosferatu “live” at the Lincoln Hall Steinway.
“NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR” is the earliest adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film was directed by F. W. Murnau and starred Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife of his estate agent and brings the plague to their town.
The silent film continues to disturb and inspire modern audiences with it’s beautiful cinematography coupled with the nightmare-ish images of Count Orlock.
Nosferatu is set in 1838, when a German real-estate agent named Huttert travels to Transylvania to do a deal for the mysterious Orlok… who later turns up in Germany. Nosferatu was “an atypical expressionist film in that much of it was shot on location” — as opposed to shooting in a studio, a common practice at the time, the film’s landscapes, villages, and castle were actual locations in the Carpathian mountains.” Murnau was thus able to infuse the story with the subtle tones of nature: both pure and fresh as well as twisted and sinister.”
“The beautiful thing about ‘Nosferatu’ is … it’s not all terrifying,” said Roberts.
“It’s a beautiful film,” he said. “It is such a masterpiece, this film, and there are lots of emotional levels within it.
There’s moments of hope, there’s moments of mystery, there’s moments of tragedy, there’s moments of loss, and what I’ve tried to do with this score is capture each one of those moments as best as I can.”
ABOUT NOSFERATU
“NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR” is the earliest adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the “FIRST” horror film – which holds its place in the pantheon of silent or talky films in the horror movie genre. This from Lauren Bacall, describing its power.
The silent German Expressionist horror film NOSFERATU, starring Max Schreck as the iconic vampire, was directed by F. W. Murnau. It was one of his several important films including “The Last Laugh” and “Sunrise.”
One hundred and one years ago on March 4th, 1922, F. W. Murnau’s classic horror film “NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR” premiered in Berlin, Germany at The Zoological Gardens. Guests were invited to arrive in costume.
Almost instantly, Nosferatur became a cultural icon, but not without controversy. The estate of Bram Stoker, author of the book “Dracula,” sued the studio that produced “Nosferatu” over copyright claims that the film violated copyright protections on the 1897 novel.
The “Nosferatu” filmmakers had changed some things, including character names. Count Dracula became Count Orlok, for example, to try and bypass any direct links to “Dracula.” The court ruling ordered all copies of “Nosferatu” be destroyed in the case won by Stoker’s estate.
While most prints were destroyed, some copies of the film survived.
Many films of the silent era came complete with original scores which were meant to be performed live in theaters – as was Nosferatu. Unfortunately, the original Nosferatu score was lost.
International film distributor Kino Lorber completed a high-definition remaster of the film’s 35mm restoration with “unprecedented visual clarity and historical faithfulness to the original release version,” according to a press release.
Kino Lorber describes NOSFERATU – the unauthorized adaptation of author Bram Stoker’s Dracula which was crafted by legendary German director F. W. Murnau – as “the quintessential silent vampire film.”
“Rather than depicting Dracula as a shape-shifting monster or debonair gentleman, Murnau’s Graf Orlok (as portrayed by Max Schreck) is a nightmarish, spidery creature of bulbous head and taloned claws — perhaps the most genuinely disturbing incarnation of vampirism yet envisioned,” the statement reads.
Roger Ebert wrote of the film, “It doesn’t scare us, but it haunts us. It shows not that vampires can jump out of shadows, but that evil can grow there, nourished on death.”
At Intermission Join the Costume Parade!
In March of 1922, for the world premier of NOSFERATU at The Zoological Gardens in Berlin, Germany, the audience was invited to attend in costume!
In keeping with that tradition, ARCA is bringing back its popular Halloween costume parade and competition of previous seasons which brought out so many audience members attending Halloween silent movie screenings in creative costumes.
NO NEED TO WEAR A COSTUME – enjoy the movie – AND othe Halloween FUN and festivities by dressing in costume. Halloween candy WILL be given out.
Of course, there will be a costume parade and contest, with prizes awarded, at Intermission!
If you are inclined to come in costume – don’t be bashful, as audience members from 8 months to 80 years old have arrived in all manner of home-made or store-bought outfit.
Tickets are Adults $20 and Students $5. Call to Reserve at 724-659-3153 to pay by cash or check at the door – or buy online here. Wine, beer and water will be for sale.
Arrive Early and Explore Foxburg!
Plan to Make a Day of it in beautiful Foxburg!
Before the 7:30 PM screening of NOSFERATU in Lincoln Hall, stop by the Red Brick Gallery (open from 11 AM to 7 PM) for the exhibit of painter GEOFF DUNN exhibit of painter GOEFF DUNN in the Upstairs Gallery at the Red Brick Gallery.
The exhibit features plein air paintings depicting land and waters protected by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy which has protected a quarter of a million acres of land and waterways in Western Pennsylvania since 1932. Dunn currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Western PA Conservancy. No admission for the exhibit.
World traveled, retired general surgeon and palliative care physician, Geoff Dunn, who began painting in high school and studied it in college before turning to medicine, resumed plein-air painting after recognizing a deeper and more spiritual purpose to painting in the late 90’s.This became the counterpoint and catharsis for Dunn’s career in hospice and palliative care. The 2023 season Red Brick Gallery and Gift Shop hours are Fridays 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Saturdays 11:00 AM –7:00 PM, and Sundays 12:00 noon – 5:00 PM.
While in Foxburg, enjoy a walk along the Allegheny River trail or rent bicycles or enjoy a pontoon ride with Foxburg Tours in the morning or early afternoon!
Have lunch at the Allegheny Grille with seating on warm autumn days overlooking the Allegheny River, or for more casual fare, at Foxburg Pizza with salads, sandwiches and pizza.
Save time to enjoy wine tasting on the newly remodeled patio at Foxburg Wine Cellars.
Savor a gourmet coffee and hand made chocolate at Divani Chocolatier and Barrista. Or spend the night in Foxburg in the lovely, newly renovated Foxburg Inn or up the river at Emlenton’s bed and breakfast, the Barnard House.
About TOM ROBERTS
Performing his original score for Nosferatu, Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts brings back its long time friend, audience favorite and virtuosic genius TOM ROBERTS – “one of the leading exponents of early jazz piano in the world today, (as stated by Ricardo Sciavales in The Heart and Soul of Stride, Blues, and Swing Piano).
Tom has dazzled Lincoln Hall audiences in the past with the music of James T. Booker – which Tom describes as “Stride on Steroids”- as well as the music of legendary jazz and blues pianist Henry Butler – a blind artist who reveled “in fluency and facility, splashing chords all over the keyboard and streaking through solos with machine-gun articulation.” Tom has given ARCA audiences all of that in past concerts as well as a taste of Tango and Choro.
Tom tells of going to Cleveland to hear Henry Butler play a few years back. Afterwards Tom went to meet the jazz legend. A blind man since his youth, Butler shook Tom’s hand and just wouldn’t let it go, seeming to sense something about this Being. He asked Tom – “Who are YOU?” Tom told him his name and Butler said, “Tom Roberts! – I’ve heard you. You’re great!”
Tom has performed on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Statler Brothers Show on TNN and A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. He was the featured pianist at the International Stride Piano Summit in Zurich, Switzerland, 2001 and 2009. Tom was the pianist for Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks in New York City (recent Grammy winners for the soundtrack to Boardwalk Empire) and the pianist and musical director for Leon Redbone for six years.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Tom played in all the major jazz clubs in the French Quarter and on the riverboats of New Orleans when he lived there from 1989 to 1994. Tom has performed twice at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2003, once with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops. He was featured in 2003 in solo with Dick Hyman at the prestigious Jazz In July series at New York’s 92nd St. Y. Tom has performed multiple times at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival including a solo performance at The Professor Longhair Society’s Piano Night At Tipitina’s. He has performed throughout Europe as a member of multiple ensembles from New Orleans and as a member of The Ortner Roberts Duo.
Roberts has arranged and performed music for the soundtrack of the Martin Scorcese film The Aviator as well as several titles for the film DeLovely; for the syndicated PRI show Riverwalk Jazz, Live from the Landing with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band; and a number of pieces for Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for a concert of the music of Louis Armstrong in October 2006.
Recently Tom has composed new musical scores for Charlie Chaplin films including One A.M., The Rink and Silent Picture Show. In a past season in Lincoln Hall for ARCA, Tom Roberts performed Chaplin’s The Rink, The Pawn Shop and The Kid Auto Race for a Halloween costume event.
Tom has recorded over 40 albums and has performed throughout the United States and Europe.
He continues to tour worldwide and perform with bands from New Orleans and New York, including the Original Dixieland Jazzband and the Lousiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble.
Besides his pianistic artistry Tom is a versatile music historian with special focus on the Early Jazz era. He has contributed articles for magazines such as Piano Today and is a frequent guest at National Public Radio.