Film screening: David Amram »Splendor in the Grass«
The Hollywood classic with the music of David Amram
Wed, October 20, 2021 7:00 pm CEST
- Location
- Media Theater
- Language
- English
David Amram returns! To celebrate his 90th birthday, the ZKM is showing the Hollywood classic »Splendor in the Grass«, for which he wrote the score.
The 1961 U.S. feature film »Splendor in the Grass« by Elia Kazan tells the tragic love story of Wilma Dean and Bud Stamper. Set in a small town in Kansas in 1928, their love is hindered by bourgeois morals, family expectations and different origins. Rejection, self-discovery, as well as turning away from one's parents' home play a crucial role, referencing the »coming-of-age« genre. Winner of the Photoplay Award, three Golden Globe nominations and many other awards, the film is considered a classic in American film history and helped the young actress Natalie Wood to her breakthrough.
In addition to »Splendor in the Grass«, director Elia Kazan is also known for his film adaptations of »A Streetcar Named Desire«, »America America« and many other works.
Following the screening, a light-hearted conversation between David Amram, manager, producer and filmmaker Doug Yeager and ZKM CEO Peter Weibel awaits you.
David Amram
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Short biography
David Amram started his musical career in 1951 as a French horn player in the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.). After moving to New York City in 1955, he became part of the legendary jazz bands of Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and Oscar. Since then, he has traveled the world and worked as a musician and conductor in more than thirty-five countries. He established the first jazz poetry reading in New York City with writer Jack Kerouac, composed film music for numerous films such as »Pull My Daisy« (1959), and was named the first composer in residence for the New York Philharmonic in 1966. His best-known recent symphonic compositions include »This Land, Symphonic Variations On A Song By Woody Guthrie« (2007), »Giants of the Night« (2002), »Three Songs, A Concerto for Piano and Orchestra« (2009), and many more. In 2011, he was also inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award. His life and work are chronicled in the documentary film »David Amram: The First Eighty Years« as well as in his three memoirs. David Amram remains one of the most performed and influential composers of our time and will soon be thrilling audiences with a fourth book »Amram@90: Notes from a Promising Young Composer«, the settings of his previous books, his new composition »Voyages for Unaccompanied Violin« for Elmira Darvarova, and his new orchestral work.