A trio led by composer and keyboardist Jean-François Alcoléa will play 50 instruments as 11 silent films by Georges Méliès are screened behind them when “Right in the Eye” comes to Farmington on March 1.
The three musicians from France will perform at Juan College’s Henderson Performance Hall Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m.
Alcoléa, who spoke with the Tri-City Record from Montreal on Wednesday, said he was in Quebec for the Rideau 2023, a conference for more than 1,000 professionals in the performing arts industry. Rideau is proclaimed as one of the most important international gatherings regarding the French art scene today.
“Right in the Eye” is like a natural blink of an eye to Méliès’ iconic image of the moon with the rocket in the eye,” Alcoléa explained in an email.
Méliès was known for the use of special effects, popularizing techniques including substitution splices, multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves and hand-painted color.
He was also one of the early filmmakers to use storyboards. His films include “A Trip to the Moon” (1902) and “The Impossible Voyage” (1904), both involving strange, surreal journeys somewhat in the style of Jules Verne.
Alcoléa, a classically trained pianist and composer, said he created all the music for the show in 2014. He was inspired by a wide range of genres, including jazz, free jazz, classical, rock and blues. “You can expect of lot of (musical) influences,” he said.
Their music will provide a “very special identity” for each silent film, Alcoléa said.
The trio’s music is generated from a range of instruments including piano, a soundboard, percussion and guitar; aquaphone (marine harp), theremin, melodica, glockenspiel; and objects of everyday life such as stemware, circular saws, whistles, flying plates and takeout food lids.
Alcoléa, who created the multimedia performance in 2014, has performed it over 700 times in the past 10 years. His tour will include 14 venues in Canada and the United States from Feb. 29 to March 30.
He was praised by the great-great-granddaughter of legendary filmmaker and cinematographer Georges Méliès, as his show offers a multilayered, inventive score to highlight Méliès’ iconic films combine with light and music to weave a rich tapestry.
Creative team
Design, compositions, keyboard, melodica, piano frame and objects: Jean-François Alcoléa
Drums, guitar: Fabrice Favriou.
Sound, keyboard, objects: Thomas Desmartis.
Lighting, sound and video management: Mathieu Lucas.
The current lineup has been performing together as a trio for five to 8 years.
Alcoléa’s bio states he is a “complete musician – piano, chamber music, composition, jazz, rock and vocal music, as well as music for theater, dance and short films.”
Alcoléa's shows reflect his plural worlds, combining music, sound creation, lighting, still and animated images, street arts, dance, texts and visual creations. The shows also reflect his interest in history, ethnology and sociology.
He has performed more than 2,500 shows around the world, including the International Exhibition in Zaragoza, Spain, and the European Heritage Days in France. He appeared at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival last year and was a guest of the Outremont Theater in 2020 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of that famous venue.
Alcoléa said one of his memorable performances was in Morocco, where the audience clapped in the offbeat – not in rhythm.
He said it created a “powerful dissonance” – a distracting challenge to their performance. “It pushed you very hard” to stay on track with the music, he said.
Alcoléa recalled another special performance at the historic Sheldon Theatre of Performing Arts in Red Wing, Minnesota, built in 1904. “It’s a wonderful venue, he said.
Alcoléa will offer an experiential approach – to gain the bountiful and therapeutic benefits of music-making. With his team, he’s developed interactive online workshops, which include a varied range of mediation offerings. He plans to utilize a “digital education platform” this year.
Alcoléa has worked with students in France using old movies to inspire them, and they created four original pieces of music.
San Juan College students are invited to attend a free “Right in the Eye” workshop Friday at 2 p.m., at the Connie Gotsch Theatre. The cost is $15 for the general public.
For ticket information, visit https://www.sanjuancollege.edu/about/news-events/calendar/all-events/right-in-the-eye-performance.php
