manx celtic music and dance

Stephen Horne’s new score for The Manxman hits the right notes in London

03 Dec 2012

the programme from the London premiere
the programme from the London premiere

Stephen Horne’s newly commissioned score for Hitchcock’s last silent film, The Manxman, was screened by the British Film Institute in the Empire cinema on Leicester Square in London last month. An almost capacity house greeted the film and score with huge enthusiasm. The programme notes reveal that, although the score was a new composition, it took reference from Manx music, suggestions having been sent in by Manx Music Specialist for the Manx Heritage Foundation, Dr Chloe Woolley: Stephen’s score for The Manxman, while favouring the human drama, is also intended to reflect the folk and religious musical traditions of the Isle of Man...while the score is almost entirely an original composition, it does incorporate a handful of songs that would have been familiar to Manx people at the time Hall Caine’s novel was written. These include the haunting ‘Ellan Vannin’, long associated with the Manx diaspora, which is used to accompany Pete’s departure from and return to the island. (BFI programme notes)

The score was performed by five musicians: Stephen Horne (piano/accordion/flute), Jennifer Bennett (fiddle/ viola), Joby Burgess (percussion), Janey Miller (oboe/oboe d’Amore), Ruth Wall (lever harp/wire harp).

Here are two reviews: http://silentlondon.co.uk/2012/10/20/the-manxman-london-fi lm-festival-review/ http://ithankyouarthur.blogspot.co.uk/2012_10_01_archive.html www.bfi .org.uk www.stephenhorne.co.uk

www.bfi .org.uk

www.stephenhorne.co.uk

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