Word: reel
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Performances included Easy Street (starring Chaplin), Fatty and Mabel Adrift (starring Roscoe Arbuckle) and a compilation of Chaplin’s original movie compositions, entitled “The Reel Chaplin.” The films were projected onto a screen on the auditorium’s back wall while the orchestra played in the darkened hall. The experience of silent film with a full live orchestra was especially rare and memorable—emotions mimed by the actors onscreen are further energized by the orchestra’s proximity and musical charge...
Upon hearing the first work, “The Reel Chaplin,” it was instantly clear that the sound was too close to the audience. Given the proximity of the lower seats to the stage, no musical groups (or, at the very least, no group exceeding 10 people) should be hosted in Lowell Lecture Hall. Likewise, the angled hall’s acoustics are not at all conducive to the power of an orchestra with a prominent percussion section. During crescendos in particular, the sound reverberated off the walls and continually muddled the audience’s ears...
...After “Reel,” which Assistant Conductor Michael R. Callahan ’04 led with spirited ease, Chaplin made his welcome appearance as a good old tramp in Easy Street. The inclusion of the films provided a crucial context to the music. Written entirely for the action in the film, the Easy Street music imbued the scenes with life and helped elicit smiles during the more endearing sequences...
When the hall was illuminated for “The Reel Chaplin” the orchestra retained a sense of composure and poise. As soon as the big screen took over, however, the sound of confidence receded and the performers accepted a survival tactic. The orchestra performed their notes with less than optimal enthusiasm for musical clarity and diversity, occasionally hitting an incorrect note. The cohesiveness and refinement of sound was impeded by the inadequate venue and perhaps also the high expectations created by the large, unfamiliar audience...
...genetic revolution. We know he favored the simple life, as in his admiration for the unencumbered lifestyle of the Indians he encountered with Steinbeck around the Sea of Cortez. He also had a profound appreciation of nature, untrammeled and unspoiled. He did not like to see it reel under unthinking human assault. But as a scientist, he also understood the power and potential of research to improve the human condition. He was deeply concerned about the world?s ability to feed itself. He knew his beloved creatures from the sea could provide new treatments against disease. Beyond all else...