Capital Celluloid 2017 - Day 30: Mon Jan 30

There Will Be Blood (Anderson, 2007): Royal Festival Hall, 7.30pm


Paul Thomas Anderson's Oscar-winning film is accompanied by a live orchestral performance tonight of Jonny Greenwood's score, originally commissioned by the Roundhouse. A masterwork of dramatic tension, instrumental experimentation and musical bricolage – it integrates work by Arvo Pärt and Brahms.

The live screenings will draw together an orchestra of over 50 musicians, including Jonny Greenwood himself, who will play the Ondes Martenot part.

Although widely regarded as one of the most influential soundtracks in recent years, There Will Be Blood was famously ruled ineligible in the Best Original Score category at the 2008 Academy Awards due to its use of pre-existing material. The score features passages from Greenwood’s compositions Popcorn Superhet Receiver and Bodysong (the latter used in the track Convergence), as well as works by Arvo Pärt and Brahms. All these cues have been collated into one ‘performance edition’, offering a complete representation of the original film, shown in a striking new light
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Performers: Galya Bisengalieva, violin; Hugh Brunt, conductor; Jonny Greenwood, ondes martenot; Oliver Coates, cello London Contemporary Orchestra.

You can find an excellent extensive review of the film by the late Philip French here.

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