Album Notes

Al Kryszak - Composer-Guitarist
CONTACT: akryszak@hotmail.com

Kryszak's music has been performed in New York and L.A on venues including Carnegie Recital Hall, Symphony Space, The Kitchen, Lincoln Center Film Society, The Directors Guild,
Arts at St. Ann's and The North American New Music Festival.

This CD, BROKEN BLOSSOMS includes excerpts from his latest "New Music for Silent Film" project for Turner Classic Movies: The Melodic/Avant-Garde film score features virtuoso Guitar, Violin, Piano, Cello, Hammered Dulcimer & String Orchestra performances, premiered live at The Film Society Of Lincoln Center in 06.

The full film score premieres on Turner Classic Movies, June 3rd at 9:15 PM on their Silent Sundays Series.

This will mark Kryszak’s 11th TCM film score featuring new music for silent classics, following a collection of 9 early holiday films (A CHRISTMAS PAST) and the piano concerto score for DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (J. Barrymore, 1920)

The JEKYLL & MR. HYDE piano concerto score, a 1 hr 13 min. marathon of demanding solo & Ensemble sections, was also premiered live at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theatre, conducted by the composer and featuring piano virtuoso Anthony deMare. Sandra Birnkak, curator of the Killiam Collection, has collaborated on these projects to bring lesser-known films to wider audiences.

KINO films has released Kryszak's String Quartet Scores collection on DVD (CHRISTMAS PAST). Other live premieres by the composer include THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME at The World Financial Center, LIMITE at the New York Shakespeare Festival, and D.W. Griffith’s INTOLERANCE at Symphony Space.

Kryszak studied with Morton Feldman, Lukas Foss, Lou Harrison, Bill Kothe and Louis Andriessen, studying piano with Yvar Mikhoshoff, earning a Masters at SUNY Buffalo. His theatre scores include collaborations with Joanne Akalaitis, Fred Neumann & Mabou Mines, Andrew Utter and The Kitchen. He currently performs and records with Buffalo-based band REV.

Concert scores include a Viola Concerto, Violin Concerto "Three Seasons, Two Emotions and a Planet", and works featuring electric guitar orchestra. The recent Piano Prelude series allows multiple pianists in interpretation of the score.

THE FILM:

BROKEN BLOSSOMS sympathizes with an immigrant from the “Orient” who falls for the daughter of a seriously dysfunctional father. It follows Griffith’s explorations of racial intolerance, child abuse and bigotry in a manner forty years ahead of its time. BROKEN BLOSSOMS may be a continuation of Griffith’s quasi-apologetic films like INTOLERANCE, which counter BIRTH OF A NATION’s absurdly racially stereotyped caricatures.

The year being 1919, the Asian-American is played by a non-Asian actor. The setting is turn-of-the-century English docks though it bears strong resemblance to the Californian Coast of the same period. One is asked to see the intention
of the film,the one person of honor, and overlook racial "tags" considered the norm for 1920.

AK


ADDITIONAL FILM INFO:
http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/index/
http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article.jsp?cid=157070&mainArticleId=157062
http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/coming.htm

ADDITIONAL COMPOSER INFO:
http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/programs/recur/golden/jekyll/jekyll.htm
http://www.kino.com/video/dvd_titles/christmas.html