So a Silent Movie Sings??

The Paramount Theatre returns to its roots and its “mighty Wurlitzer” takes center stage at the upcoming Oakland East Bay Symphony concert on March 19 and 21.

It’s not your standard concert evening — and that’s just the point.

Maestro Michael Morgan says, “My plan was to spotlight both the organ and the history of the theater. It was also an experiment with the classical concert format, in that it’s really two events in one: a silent movie presentation with theater organ, followed by an orchestra presentation.” As the OEBS Web site says, it’s (for once literally) “pulling out all the stops” for this concert.

The film is Buster Keaton’s classic The General. Although panned by critics at the time, it is now considered one of the greatest silent films ever made. This 1927 film has it all: a perfect deadpan comedian in Buster Keaton, amazing stunts and delicious sight gags, and not one but two locomotive chase scenes, all bound together by the love of a man for his girl ... well, and for his locomotive, too.

The movie is enlivened by a new score, composed by Christoff Bull, who will be on hand to accompany the film on the organ in his OEBS debut. To keep the movie theme going, the orchestra joins Bull in the second half of the program for Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, “Organ,” which was the theme for the movie Babe (something about a precocious piglet).

When asked about how you score for a silent film, in which the music plays such a major role, Bull says, “I’ve always enjoyed improvising music, starting at the age of 5 on the piano. Sometimes I would put up comic books on the music rack and play music to accompany them. When I first went to music conservatory in Germany, an instructor suggested I should improvise to silent films. This didn’t become a reality until I became University Organist at UCLA and UCLA Live Director David Sefton asked me to accompany the silent movie The General by Buster Keaton, the very film I’ll be playing for this week.

My approach to accompanying a movie is watching the movie numerous times so I’ll know it very well. At first I just watch and don’t play. After a few viewings I’ll start thinking of some themes and sometimes I’ll jot them down. For this movie I also did some research on songs from the Civil War era to incorporate as thematic material. I have an idea of what I’ll do, but a lot of it will be free improvisation as opposed to a set score. I find myself reacting to the audience as well. Their enjoyment of the movie inspires me.”

As for playing the organ itself, he notes, “Playing a Wurlitzer is both similar and different from playing a classical pipe organ, which is what I normally play. Some of the same strategies for picking interesting sounds and orchestrations apply, but a theater organ has different sounds and effects, especially suited for accompanying movies and for playing popular music. As a concert organist, I like to arrive a couple of days before the first performance and make friends with the organ. It takes more time than playing any other instrument, but it’s also rewarding. Each instrument is unique, and I love them all. They’re like beautiful women. The most beautiful is the one you’re looking at.”

Morgan notes that Bull “is an extraordinary personality and this was a way to feature more of him.” Since 2002, Bull has been University Organist and organ professor at UCLA. He seamlessly moves between the worlds of classical and rock music, and is currently also working on the premiere recording of the Glattter-Goetz/Rosales pipe organ at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. For a behind-the-scenes look at this, as well as his other widely varied projects, visit his Web site.

As for the Paramount Theatre itself, home to Oakland East Bay Symphony, it’s a jewel in its own right. The building, in the heart of Oakland, on Broadway atop the 19th Street BART station, was completed in 1931, and it’s a prime example of art deco design. It was rescued from decay some years ago by the Oakland Symphony, the City of Oakland, and private donors, and it has been authentically restored while technically upgraded.

“Love, Locomotives, and Laughs” was the tagline on the movie posters for the The General. You’ll experience all these, along with great music and a terrific theater experience, when attending the next Oakland East Bay Symphony program.