Silent films traditionally have live musicians playing along with the film.  Alicia Svigals and Donald Sosin have been working together creating music and performing along with silent films depicting the plight of Jews in Europe in the early 20th Century. The three films they have scored so far are City Without Jews, The Ancient Law, and Man Without A World.

Alicia Svigals is a mover and shaker in the Klezmer revival movement. Donald Sosin has been creating music, including but not limited to music for silent movies for many years.  They met at a film festival in Italy and since then have been composing and playing for these historical films.

Silent films are their own art form.  The role the music plays is very different than in “talkies.”  If you’ve never experienced a silent film, it’s a lot of fun, and may surprise you with the artistry and effectiveness.

The conversation explores Alicia and Donald’s inspirations, and examines why these films are important now.

Music by: Donald Sosin, Alicia Svigals, Uli Geissendoerfer, and Joanna Seaton

Podcast: Download (Duration: 59:02 — 135.6MB)