[NEohioPAL] Feature arts article: When Everything Old is New Again

[Bob Abelman via NEohioPAL]

What were they thinking:  When everything old is new again



Bob Abelman

Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics



 “Don't throw the past away
You might need it some rainy day”



~ From “Everything Old is New Again,” 1974

Song by Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager





There were times early in the last century when ingenuity embraced the visual and performing arts, enhanced their artistry and expanded their audience.  



Those days are here again, but to curiously mixed reviews.



◊◊



In the early-1920s, in order to fill the silence before talkies and bring out the emotion of what was being said but needed to be read, many movie theaters employed a live pianist, organist or small orchestra to accompany their films.  



In the spirit of this act of creative enrichment, but on steroids, the December installment of the “At the Movies” series at Severance Hall offered a screening of Frank Capra’s monochromatic classic “It’s A Wonderful Life” with a live symphonic performance of the film’s original underscoring by the world-class Cleveland Orchestra.  Included were 40 minutes of found music written by composer Dimitri Tiomkin that were cut from the original release of the movie.



The Cleveland Orchestra offered a richer and more vibrant experience than Frank Capra could have ever have imagined or that any audience ever encountered in the 70 years since the film’s release.  And yet, there were those in attendance who felt that the live accompaniment was overkill and who found that the now-somber underscoring of assorted scenes detracted from the light and happy feeling we’ve come to expect from this holiday staple.  



For more of this article, go to www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/.
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