Raga pianist Utsav Lal to perform in Sheffield for Yorkshire Silent Film Festival
New York pianist Utsav Lal is heading to the UK to participate in Yorkshire Silent Film Festival’s spring season including a date in Sheffield. A trailblazer in the worlds of jazz and raga, Lal will improvise a unique live score for Carl Dreyer’s emotional masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc at the atmospheric Abbeydale Picture House in Sheffield on 15th May. This one-off event will be the only opportunity for Sheffield audiences to hear this acclaimed pianist perform live in the city this year.
Lal has established an international reputation for his performance of Indian ragas on the piano. Choosing to perform on an instrument that has traditionally been considered unsuitable for Hindustani classical music, Lal’s innovative handling of raga blends his diverse musical influences and has left listeners spellbound. A Young Steinway Artist, Lal has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages including Washington DC’s Kennedy Centre, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and London’s Southbank Centre.
The Passion of Joan of Arc is one of the most emotional films in all of cinema, dramatising Joan’s final days as she is tried for heresy and executed by fire. The portrayal of Joan by Renée Maria Falconetti is frequently held up as the all-time finest performance in cinema. Falconetti had never performed in film before, and she never did so again.
Jonny Best, artistic director, Yorkshire Silent Film Festival, said:
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Utsav Lal back to the UK. His performances are truly mesmerising, blending ancient tradition with innovation. Audiences in Sheffield will be astounded by his improvisations which will bring this stunning silent film to vivid life.”
The Passion of Joan of Arc with live score by Utsav Lal is the finale of a day of silent cinema at the Abbeydale Picture House on 15th May. Other shows, all with live music, include a comedy triple bill featuring Buster Keaton and Charley Bowers, as well as classic Harold Lloyd in The Freshman, charming New York fairy tale Lonesome, and Concerteenies interactive musical screenings for families. All these shows will take place in a specially created, intimate cinema space on the stage of the historic Abbeydale Picture House while safety work is carried out in the main cinema auditorium.
Tickets are on sale now at www.ysff.co.uk.
This event is part of a year-round programme of live-scored silent film presented by Yorkshire Silent Film Festival across the North as well as an annual festival which returns in autumn 2022.
Yorkshire Silent Film Festival is supported with National Lottery funding from Arts Council England and Film Hub North.
Event information
Sunday 15th May 2022
11.30am & 1pm Concerteenies
Yorkshire Silent Film Festival and Concerteenies present a musical screening specially devised for young children and their adults. Musicians will bring each film to life with improvised music. Come and meet the magical, disappearing musicians of Symphonie Bizarre (1909), laugh along with Walt Disney’s Oswald The Lucky Rabbit – and join in by creating the sounds for the films with the musicians.
Suitable for children aged 2-10 but all ages welcome.
Tickets: adults £12.50 (plus booking fee), children free but please book a ticket.
2.30pm Crazy Men – a comedy trio with live music by Adam Fairhall and Jonny Best on piano
In this triple bill of slapstick comedy, three obsessive men test the patience of everyone around them with their hare-brained schemes: Buster Keaton in The Boat, Many a Slip with Charley Bowers and Pudovkin’s Chess Fever.
Tickets: £12 (plus booking fee), free for 18 years and under but please book a ticket.
4.30pm Harold Lloyd in The Freshman with live piano by Jonny Best
Hoping to make some friends, Harold Lamb attends college at Tate University. But when the students notice his eccentric personality, he becomes the joke of the school. Only his friend Peggy knows that, to be happy, Harold must accept himself for who he really is.
Tickets: £12 (plus booking fee), free for 18 years and under but please book a ticket.
6.30pm Lonesome with live score by Irine Røsnes (violin) and Jonny Best (piano)
Jim and Mary are New Yorkers, living among millions of strangers, alone in their cold-water flats. Then, one day, by sheer beautiful luck, they both decide to go to Coney Island.
Lonesome is an unlikely, beguiling oddball of a film. Made by the little-known but audacious Paul Fejos, it’s a European art movie released by a Hollywood studio.
Tickets: £12 (plus booking fee)
8.30pm The Passion of Joan of Arc with live score by Utsav Lal
The Passion of Joan of Arc is one of the most emotional films in all of cinema, dramatising Joan’s final days as she is tried for heresy and executed by fire. The portrayal of Joan by Renée Maria Falconetti is frequently held up as the all-time finest performance in cinema. Falconetti had never performed in film before, and she never did so again.
Trailblazing pianist Utsav Lal will improvise a unique live score for this screening. His innovative performances have been acclaimed by audiences at Carnegie Hall, Southbank Centre and on the New York music scene.
Tickets: £12 (plus booking fee)
All-day passes for four shows (Concerteenies not included): £30 (plus booking fee)
All events take place at Abbeydale Picture House, 387 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield S7 1FS.