Nosferatu has a brand new score by a great new band called Silent Orchestra.

Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror has been available in restored and un-restored versions with several different scores for the past 10 years. Now for the first time the most frightening version of the classic Stoker novel is available with a contemporary horror score. This new score, composed by Carlos Garza and Rich O'Meara is available in Dolby Surround (tm) format on videotape from Kino Video and will be available in Dolby Digital 5.1 on DVD from Image Entertainment in January 2001.

There are actually quite a few scores to this film that we know of. The original was part composition and part compilation put together by ____. We have not heard the original score. British composer James Bernard composed a more modern orchestral score. He is best known for his work on the Hammer Films Dracula series staring Christopher Lee. He is a brilliant orchestral composer with a strong melodic sense.

The Image Entertainment DVD features our score in Dolby Digital (5.1 surround). It also features Tim Howard's excellent organ score. This is the same score that has been available on both the prior Image Entertainment DVD/Laser disks and the Kino videotapes since 1991. Howard's score is rooted in the music of the 19th century, the setting of the story. We heard he was able to pull off his performance in one or two takes. He is an accomplished organist and his score will appeal to anyone looking for a more traditional Silent Film experience.

The Silent Orchestra score draws from more contemporary music styles. Our background includes contemporary film scores, contemporary classical, and Jazz composition. We improvised the music for this score over many months and chose the best sections to develop into the recorded score. Parts of the score have a more Golden Age orchestral film score style. We looked at many of the great films that were made after Murnau died. Would he have worked with Bernard Hermann, Max Steiner, Alfred Newman, or Franz Waxman? What might those collaborations sounded like?

We also did a bit of sound design to give a cohesive texture to the sound track. We chose sampled sounds that seemed to defy identification. We felt that, if alive today, Murnau would look for sounds that grounded in nature and dreamlike at the same time. You will hear scraping gongs and mutant rooster calls. We placed these sounds throughout the surround sound field in a way that enhances the experience and draws the listener into the film.

Our score and sound design make this the most frightening version of Nosferatu ever released. We premiered this score in 1999 in the Washington DC area and we performed it again in October of 2000 at the Virginia Film Festival.

Silent Orchestra is:

Carlos Garza - keyboards and knobs

Rich O'Meara - percussion and more knobs

More information on Silent Orchestra.

Where to buy Nosferatu.

 Carlos Garza © 2000 Silent Orchestra