For the Dark Nights Film Festival, one of the most legendary silent films through the ages, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's horror film "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" will be revived, with new music commissioned by the Pärnu City Orchestra and composed by Tõnis Kaumann.

The film is based on Bram Stroker's book "Dracula". Directed by Murnau and shot by Fritz Arno Wagner, the film premiered on 5 March 1922, with the main action taking place in the Carpathian country estate of Count Orlok (actor Max Schreck). In creating what has become a horror film classic, Murnau and Wagner exploited all the technical possibilities of the time, experimenting with both negative shots and multiplication.

One hundred years after the film's premiere, the horror film is back on the screen, this time as a collaboration between Pärnu City Orchestra and the Dark Nights Film Festival. According to Kaspar Mann, Principal Conductor of the Pärnu City Orchestra, Nosferatu is one of the legendary old horror films that many have probably heard of, but not everyone has seen. "With live music, we want to offer both a concert and a film experience," says Mänd, who thinks Tõnis Kaumann's artistic style, with its dissonances, quotes, and a good dose of humour, is perfect for the occasion.

Tõnis Kaumann, who composed the music for the silent film, adds: "Nosferatu was my first serious experience in film music. The film, made 100 years ago, was a true horror film in its time, but in the context of today's visuals, it is comical in many aspects. This also presented me a challenge: which key to use for which scene, and how to find a balance between different eras. The work was very extensive and exciting, the film lasts over an hour and a half. It turned out that writing musical score in sync with a picture track is a great pleasure."

The premiere will take place on 18 November at 19:00 in the Kumu auditorium.
The people of Pärnu will be able to enjoy the film night on 19 November in Pärnu Concert Hall, starting at 19:00. The screening will be preceded by a foreword by Estonian film journalist and critic Tristan Priimägi.

"Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror"
Pärnu City Orchestra, conductor Kaspar Mänd