Vox Lumiere-Metropolis
ScienceFiction.com
ScienceFiction.com recently co-sponsored (along with Cult Movie Magazine) The Silent Movie Theatre’s Sci-Fi week. The Silent Movie Theatre is the only theater in America showing silent movies on a regular basis.
The Sci-Fi week films which screened from July 18 through 23 included “Things to Come”, “Aileta, Queen of Mars”, “The Lost World”, “Metropolis” and “King Kong”.
On Saturday, July 22, the ScienceFiction.com staffers and family gathered in Hollywood, California at The Silent Movie Theatre. We arrived early for the 8:00 p.m. showing of Fritz Lang’s silent science fiction classic “Metropolis”. We were looking forward to the movie and curious about the planned musical performance by Kevin Saunders Hayes’ rock orchestra Vox Lumiere.
The Silent Movie Theatre which has been screening movies since the 40s has recently been beautifully restored. As we waited for the show to begin, the crowd murmured. There was a sense in the air that we were all about to experience something special.
With the show due to begin shortly, I read my program. Vox Lumiere -Metropolis was composed (music & lyrics) by Kevin Saunders Hayes who would be conducting tonight. It had its World Premiere in New York on April 22 at the 6th Avignon/New York Film Festival. It’s European Premiere was last month at the 17th Avignon Film Festival in France.
Soon the lights dimmed, the gold curtain parted, and “Metropolis” began. Vox Lumiere offered strong, confident and polished vocals and musical instrumentation to “Metropolis’” vivid and prophetic on-screen action. Attractive and dressed in black and leather, the dynamic group rocked the old house of science fiction movie fans under composer Hayes’ energetic conducting.
After the show, we all spilled out onto the sidewalk outside the theater and milled around, savoring the movie-going magic of the unique science fiction tribal experience we had just shared together. 150 people were already lined up to take in the hastily scheduled 10:15 screening and musical performance to accommodate those who had been turned away from the 8:00 p.m. showing. See you at the movies!
ScienceFiction.com Goes To The Movies – July 23, 2000 By Joe Posner
