Film buffs, bug hunters and bee lovers mixed with the classical concert crowd on Sunday for a special treat in the Vienna Konzerthaus. The concert series ‘Film + Musik live’ transformed the big hall of the Konzerthaus into a gigantic cinema with a 12m x 10m screen, featuring the 1926 silent film “The Adventures of Maya the Bee” with live music played by the Ensemble Filmharmonie, an ensemble specialising in silent film music. Austrian composer Florian C. Reithner led the orchestra through his luxurious and carefully instrumented soundscapes, telling the story of the curious bee named Maya who takes off to go where no bee has gone before.
Reithner breathes life into Maya’s adventures and makes every corner of the creepy-crawly world of bugs distinctly unique and eminently enjoyable. Intimate episodes of chamber music quality alternate with grand orchestral climaxes, creating a cohesive mix of drama, comedy and action. The Ensemble Filmharmonie and the fcr – Kammerchor followed his clear direction with obvious delight, buzzing, chirping and singing their way through the varied and colourful score. Reithner’s music and copious amounts of insects on the screen immersed the audience in lush nocturnal harmonies, and in the fierce battle scenes and phantasmagoric images conjured up on the gigantic screen.
The audience responded with rapturous applause and prompted Florian C. Reithner to exchange his baton for the 116-stop Rieger organ where he played his own arrangement of Léon Boëllmann’s famous Toccata for organ and orchestra as an encore.The DVD is in production and will be distributed by Seeber FILM.
Konzerthaus, Vienna
‘The Adventures of Maya the Bee’ (Germany 1926, Wolfram Junghans)
Music by Florian C. Reithner (2011)
Ensemble Filmharmonie
fcr – Kammerchor
Franz Reithner (organ)
Florian C. Reithner (composer and conductor)
The Current of Music 