Journey Across the Impossible
In 1998 the Apollo Saxophone Quartet was commissioned by Phoenix Arts in Leicester to write a substantial new series of works for a performance project with black and white silent film. The group hand picked a series of short films, many from the early experimental days of film in the early 1900s, and set them to original scores which bring these quirky, thought provoking, often bizarre films to light in a way that extends and enhances their original meaning, often making a film that is almost 100 years old highly poignant and relevant to a 21st century audience. The music from many of these films is recorded on the Apollo Saxophone Quartet CD Words & Pictures (1998).
Some of the works from the silent film project will be showcased in a national tour in 2012, including a performance at the World Saxophone Congress in July 2012. The programme will comprise four films from the Journey Across the Impossible project: Georges Melies’ Trio of Cinema Wonders features three experimental films from 1906; The Black Imp scored by Rob Buckland, using some early freeze frame techniques to create the Imp’s magical powers, The Dancing Pig scored by Andy Scott, and the slightly disturbing The Acrobatic Fly scored by Rob Buckland. The Collapse of the Bridge over the Tacoma Narrows is an early disaster movie featuring some extraordinary archive and amateur footage, scored by Will Gregory, who played baritone sax in the Apollo Saxophone Quartet at the time of the original Journey Across the Impossible project. Dream of a Rarebit Fiend is another score by Will Gregory to a hilarious comedy based on the dreams of the star after a day of over indulgence!