ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENTS
For 28 years, the Prima
Vista Quartet has become a leader in the rarified world of film concerts
(silent film musical accompaniment, called cine-concerts in French). The quartet has
explored silent cinema genres as diverse as slapstick, expressionism, social
realism, historical melodrama, swashbuckler, war movie, cartoon and
documentary, as expressed in French, American, German, Russian and Chinese film
productions.
Because
music in film is the result of a meticulous and magical alliance with image,
Prima Vista invites you to discover the full range of emotions of a string
quartet at the service of the masterpieces of silent cinema. Each score is an
invitation to indulge in a different and unique musical and cinematic world, in
keeping with the diversity and uniqueness of each cinematographic work, in
order to ensure consistency and compliance with the artistic intentions of the
filmmakers.
The
Prima Vista Quartet eschews modern technology (click tracks over earphones or
monitors on stage with timings and cues) in favor of the live experience of
pure hand-eye co-ordination and acoustic musicianship. The quartet sits to the
side of the stage and violist/composer Baudime Jam keeps cinematic images and
the quartet’s music in expressive synchronization. Their music scores are
composed and performed in the spirit of the era of the movie, to the point that
audiences experience movie and music as one.
PERFORMANCES
Since
their creation in 1997, the Prima Vista Quartet has been performing in France,
Spain, Italy, Germany, England, Poland, Russia, Netherlands, Cyprus, the United
States, China and Africa.
Their
film concerts have been hosted by many prestigious venues among which the
Balzac in Paris, the Barbican in London, the Odeon in Firenze, the Muziekgebouw
of Amsterdam, the Florence Gould Hall in New York, the Maison Française of Washington, the Music Box in
Chicago, the Beijing Concert Hall, the Poly Theater of Shanghai, the Stone
Towns Theater of Zanzibar, and also in many festivals such as the Film-concert
Spring Festival of Bordeaux, Film Fair of Marcigny, Silent Film Festival of
Toulon, Anères Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Festival Jean Carmet, My First
Festival, International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand, International
Festival Cine-Jeune, Film Festival of Amiens, Chinese Film Festival of Paris,
International Film Festival of Gijon, International Festival of Cartagena, Como
Autumn Music Festival, UK French Film Festival, Festival dei Popoli, EnLive
Festival of the Pharos Foundation, International Film Festival of Minneapolis,
International Film Festival of Zanzibar, Festival Croisements in China, etc.
MEDIA ACCLAIMS
« An unquestionable highlight of this
year's festival was the Film Concert of silent shorts from the 1920s
accompanied by original scores performed by the Prima Vista string quartet. The
musicians, led by viola player and composer Baudime Jam, play exquisitely and
make the most of the contrast between their black tie demeanor and the artfully
calibrated havoc on screen. This is perhaps the best silent film accompaniment
I've heard. Festival programmers in search of a sure-fire crowd pleaser that
melds high art with pop art should definitely take note, as it were. » Lisa
Nesselson (Variety)
« Baudime Jam is an expert and passionate
musician. His wonderful music for The Goddess is faithful to the original work
which he has restored the alliance of lyricism and realism. Perfect integration
of music in film. » Yang Jianhua (Confucius Institute of Poznan)
“A fabulous and sensational evening. The
Prima Vista Quartet is of the highest quality. The outpouring of praise
following this magical evening is testament to their success and exceptional
talent.” Marie-Monique Steckel, President of the
French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) of New York