Recorda-Me

You, me, the music, and me.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

PHILIP GLASS/KRONOS QUARTET Newly-recorded motion picture score for Dracula (1931)

(1999)

"Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make!"

One of the best special features found among Universal Pictures' Legacy Collection series of classic horror films on DVD is the modern musical score for Dracula, composed for string quartet in 1999 by Philip Glass and performed by the Kronos Quartet. The original 1931 film had almost no music and little dialogue, and the presence of the new score greatly enhances the viewing of this classic. Glass uses his trademark minimal harmonic and rhythmic materials expertly to fashion music that focuses on a sense of dread and inevitable tragedy, creating a sort of sympathy for Bela Lugosi's remorseless monster. The film can be played with or without the score, but viewing both versions will give a greater appreciation for Glass' achievement. (Also available on CD.)

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