Movies are a big part of a lot of lives in Los Angeles. But young Stephen Prutsman developed tastes that veered toward the vintage.
"I had always, as a kid, been enraptured with silent film," he said last week from his home in San Francisco. "Particularly the comedies of Laurel and Hardy. And Max Roach shorts, like the Keystone Kops. And some [Charlie] Chaplin. I'd go to the official Silent Movie Theatre in Hollywood to go watch. They had a prerecorded Wurlitzer organ playing behind."
Prutsman eventually decided to improve upon the sound of that prerecorded Wurlitzer organ. For over two decades, the renowned pianist and composer has been writing scores for the annual silent film presentations by Accordo, a chamber music group composed of musicians from the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
On Tuesday, Valentine's Day, he and the group will present two silent classics that offer different views of romance: Buster Keaton's uproarious 1920 comedy, "One Week" — in which newlyweds attempt to build a house from a kit — and F.W. Murnau's 1927 drama of a love rekindled, "Sunrise." It's frequently listed near the top of critics' and film scholars' lists of the greatest films ever made, but can be hard to find on streaming services.
"For this one, 'Sunrise,' I've got to tell you, it's changed my life," Prutsman said. "How to complement with sound one of the greatest works of art that's ever been conceived. It's just so layered with beauty. … Finding the right language for this film was really a challenge."
Prutsman's journey as a silent film composer began around the start of this century in the opposite corner of the country from that L.A. movie house: at a Maine chamber music festival.
"The presenter said, 'Why don't we present a silent film and you can write the score?' I jumped at the chance and chose as the first film Buster Keaton's 'Sherlock Jr.'"
Known for its wildly imaginative chase scenes, that film eventually became half of the first "Accordo With Silent Film" presentation at the Ordway in 2016, teamed with the Expressionist masterpiece "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari."
"I still have a very soft spot for his 'Sherlock Jr.' score for piano quintet," said violinist Steven Copes, concertmaster of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and a member of Accordo. "Not just because of the wonderful tunes and laughs, but because of the way the musicians get to interact with the film and perform all kinds of sound effects. We have to really know the pacing of the gestures and the scenes very well to pull it off with crisp comic timing."
The Ordway presentations have been an annual event since, save for the pandemic-induced cancellation of 2021.
"I've scored 15 silent films, and I think that at least half of them have been shown there in St. Paul," Prutsman said. "And they have legs afterward. [Buster Keaton's] 'Seven Chances' is going to be done at the Spoleto Festival [in Charleston, S.C.] next year. But I have a hard time making it sound as good in other towns. Because the musicians in Minnesota are just so damn good."
Tuesday's film and music combo will open with Prutsman improvising on piano to a short film by Richard Orr before a young Twin Cities string quartet, the BRIJ Quartet, joins Prutsman for "One Week." The evening concludes with Prutsman and Accordo performing his "Sunrise" score for clarinet, string quartet and piano.
"If nothing more, the folks who come will get to see the greatest actress of all time, in my humble opinion," Prutsman said. "I've seen a lot, but Janet Gaynor … how every little movement in the face changes the complexion of the narrative slightly. How many facets of love and sadness, fear, how multilayered is it possible for one actress to be? Without words."
Accordo With Silent Film
When: 7:30 p.m. Tue.
Where: Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul.
Tickets: $31-$36, available at 651-292-3268 or Schubert.org.
Rob Hubbard is a Twin Cities classical music writer. Reach him at wordhub@yahoo.com.
