eyedrum and The Nebulous Orchestra invite you to a multi-sensory journey through the foundations of cinema with An Evening of Shorts. This performance brings together the surreal, the abstract, and the foundational works of the early 20th century, all set to live experimental scores. The evening is designed as a continuous experience, divided into two halves by a brief intermission, with a total runtime of approximately one hour and 45 minutes.
The program is anchored by several of the most recognizable and influential works of the silent era. The performance begins with the full ensemble scoring Georges Méliès’ 1902 masterpiece, A Trip to the Moon. This is followed by a series of focused interpretations, including Walther Ruttmann’s Opus I scored by Josh Washburn, Ralph Steiner’s H2O scored by Nathan Brown, and a full-ensemble accompaniment to Man Ray’s Dadaist landmark, The Return to Reason.
Following a ten-minute intermission, the second half of the program delves deeper into the avant-garde. Rob Sepanski will provide a live score for Marcel Duchamp’s Anemic Cinema, followed by Aaron Hendrickson’s interpretation of the legendary Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí collaboration, Un Chien Andalou. The evening concludes with all four performers coming together to score Oskar Schlemmer’s Bauhaus classic, The Triadic Ballet.