The Adventures of Prince Achmed - Music of Phillip Johnston
About
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Reiniger, 1926)With original music by Phillip Johnston
Performed by Phillip Johnston, James Greening, Alister Spence, and Casey Golden
Phillip Johnston: alto saxophone, composition
James Greening: trombone
Alister Spence: keyboards
Casey Golden: keyboards
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) is a silent silhouette animation by Lotte Reiniger, considered by many to be the first feature-length animated film. Influenced by Georges Méliès (Voyage dans la lune) and Paul Wegener (Der Golem), Reiniger had an astonishing facility with cutting – holding the scissors still in her right hand, and manipulating the paper at lightning speed with her left hand so that the cut always went in the right direction. She drew the storyboards and devised the plots and characters, which were closely linked. William Moritz describes it as “a brilliant feature, a wonderful film full of charming comedy, lyrical romance, vigorous and exciting battles, eerie magic, and truly sinister, frightening evil.”
The score for Prince Achmed again represents a unique approach to music for silent film. Combining electronic and acoustic instruments, the score is structured around a pre-recorded score of sampled electronic loops and percussion. Against this, a live band will perform, consisting of two keyboards, soprano saxophone, & trombone. The music is through-composed, seasoned with elements of improvisation, and invokes elements of jazz, blues, minimalism and classical music.
Taken from The Arabian Nights, The Adventure of Prince Achmed tells the story of a wicked sorcerer who tricks Prince Achmed into mounting a magical flying horse, and sends the rider off on a flight to his death. But the prince foils the magician’s plan, and soars headlong into a series of wondrous adventures — joining forces with Aladdin and the Witch of the Fiery Mountains, doing battle with the sorcerer's army of monsters and demons, and falling in love with the beautiful Princess Peri Banu.
$30/$15, and BYO food and drink. Doors from 7.30pm, music from 8pm!
Date
Thursday 13 November 2025 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (UTC+11)Location
Johnston St Jazz
81 Johnston Street, Annandale nsw 2038
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The Adventures of Prince Achmed - Music of Phillip Johnston
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