Century-old silent movie with augmented drums wows city

Kolkata witnessed a spellbinding evening on Thursday, as drummer and composer Stéphane Scharlé brought René Clair’s 1924 masterpiece Paris Qui Dort to life in a one-of-a-kind movie-concert at the Indian Museum’s Ashutosh Birth Centenary Auditorium.

Presented by Institut Français en Inde, in collaboration with Indian Museum Kolkata and Alliance Française du Bengale, the performance transported audiences into a world where time stoodstill (literally) and music reawakened motion.Using his revolutionary augmented drums, Scharlé reimagined the silent sci-fi classic with a stunning blend of acoustic brilliance and electronic innovation. His futuristic soundscape — fusing jazz, minimal electro, and improvisation — breathed new energy into Paris frozen by a mysterious ray, creating an immersive experience that blurred the boundaries between cinema and live music.Best known as the leader of the French jazz collective OZMA, Scharlé showcased his mastery by turning this century-old film into a vibrant, contemporary sound experiment — a poetic dialogue between image, rhythm, and imagination.

Although niche, it has an audience in India: Stéphane Scharlé

Speaking about the screening Stéphane Scharlé said, “This is my second time in Kolkata. I have done eight cine concerts so far and I like how it unites cinema lovers and music lovers. This genre is very different from a concert because in a concert there is an audience interaction and you get a chance to connect with the audience, but here I have to wait till the concert is over to connect with my audience. Although niche, it has an audience in India.

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