A cacophony of improvised sounds was on display as the New Mexico State University Department of Music hosted a silent movie Halloween party, showing Sean Branney and Andrew Leman’s “Call of Cthulhu” (2005) in the Atkinson Recital Hall on Monday.
The faculty musicians improvised their own rendition of the musical score in its entirety. The performing faculty members were as follows: Fred Bugbee on percussion, Jacob Dalager on trumpet, Christian Chesanek on bass, Michael W. Mapp played the prepared piano, and Rhonda Taylor played the saxophones.
Professor Bugbee interviewed producer Sean Branney prior to the event about his love for H.P. Lovecraft’s work and to provide insight into the process of making the movie.
“We decided to produce H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘Call of Cthulhu’ and thought it might be interesting,” Branney said. “The story has long been considered unfilmable.”
The movie is shot in the style of a silent film that would have been typical of the 1920s, which is when it was written.
He also discussed some of the challenges the production team faced when composing the score, which plays from beginning to end over the movie’s entire 47-minute runtime.
“We found ourselves at the end of production with a truly silent film,” Branney said. “Which is undesirable because the music is so important.”
In the end, with a bit of luck, the team was able to find a composer willing to work on the film and create the score right before the major film festival submission deadlines.
Director of Bands at NMSU, Michael Mapp, discussed what it was like to improvise the entirety of the performance with the other faculty members.
“We all try to improv and hopefully find moments where we groove and we all come together,” Mapp said.
Branney said that the faculty chamber’s rendition of the score offered a “unique experience” with the film.
Jason Christopherson, a student attendee, spoke about his experience with silent movies and the music program at NMSU.
“I went last year to their showing of ‘Nosferatu,’” Christopherson said. “It’s just really cool to see free improvisation alive and well.”
Mapp also remarked on why hosting these kinds of events is important to students.
“It’s great for our students because we’re their professors,” Mapp said. “We’re showing them a way to be confident in their musicality.”
Mapp reflected on what the performance meant to him and the department, as well as how it is one of many hidden gems offered only by NMSU.
“I think it’s something very unique to the area, I’m not certain of another place that does this sort of thing,” Mapp said. “It’s just one of those great things that NMSU has to offer its students.”
