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SHERLOCK HOLMES: the Odessa Connection

The first Sherlock Holmes film ever made is getting a brand-new score. Please help fund it!

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SHERLOCK HOLMES: the Odessa Connection

SHERLOCK HOLMES: the Odessa Connection

SHERLOCK HOLMES: the Odessa Connection

SHERLOCK HOLMES: the Odessa Connection

SHERLOCK HOLMES: the Odessa Connection

The first Sherlock Holmes film ever made is getting a brand-new score. Please help fund it!

The first Sherlock Holmes film ever made is getting a brand-new score. Please help fund it!

The first Sherlock Holmes film ever made is getting a brand-new score. Please help fund it!

The first Sherlock Holmes film ever made is getting a brand-new score. Please help fund it!

Donald Sosin
Donald Sosin
Donald Sosin
Donald Sosin
1 Campaign |
New York, United States
$6,042 USD 37 backers
27% of $22,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

SHERLOCK HOLMES ON THE ODESSA STEPS

Two years ago, the silent film SHERLOCK HOLMES (1916), the first Holmes film ever made, was rediscovered at the Cinématheque Française after nearly 100 years. The San Francisco Silent Film Festival restored the film and commissioned me to create a score for the American repremiere. The Castro Theatre was sold out and the audience cheered and applauded both the film and the music.

Now I have been commissioned by the Odessa International Film Festival to expand  that 4-musician score for a 45-piece orchestra. The premiere is July 16, 2016  on the famous Potemkin Stairs in Odessa, the "Black Sea Pearl," in Ukraine. I need your help to get this done. It's the opportunity of a lifetime and there is not much time to make it happen. To orchestrate two hours of music in the next two months, I have asked my dear friend, composer Peter Breiner. With 180 Naxos CDs under his belt, he'll do a fantastic job. The festival's fee only covers my part of the project, not his. Your contributions will fund his work, in addition to forging a connection between Odessa, Peter and me for future collaborations. 

FROM BROADWAY TO FILM: WILLIAM GILLETTE, THE FIRST SHERLOCK

The film was written by and stars William Gillette, American actor and inventor, whose Broadway play, based on Conan Doyle's stories, and with his permission, was a huge hit in 1899, toured across the US and to Great Britain, South Africa, Australia. Gillette was the first to don the deerstalker hat, smoke the curved pipe, and utter the immortal word, "Elementary!" He mesmerized his audiences and was a huge star. On the big screen he is a formidable presence and audiences in the US and Europe cheered for him at screenings with live music. But there has never been an orchestral performance in our lifetime. Here's another clip from the film. Imagine it with an orchestra on the soundtrack...


THE ODESSA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Last year was the 6th edition of this enormous festival, which screened 400 films and had 120,000 attendees, up 10,000 from 2014. There is a free silent film with live orchestra each year. At previous screenings up to 15,000 people sat on the steps to see Eisenstein's POTEMKIN, Murnau's SUNRISE, and Hitchcock's BLACKMAIL,  accompanied by the superb Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra. The city has a rich cultural legacy: some of the world's greatest musicians—David and Igor Oistrakh, Nathan Milstein, and Sviatoslav Richter—were trained there. And my grandparents came from a little village near Kiev. I'm amazed and thrilled to be able to have my music played in Ukraine.


About Donald Sosin

I have been writing silent film music since before there were personal computers. I perform at major film festivals around the world (New York, Telluride, San Francisco, Seattle, Bologna, Pordenone), at New York's MoMA and many other venues. My music is frequently heard on Turner Classic Movies, and on over 50 DVDs. Click on these titles to hear music from THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, NOSFERATU, A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS, KING OF KINGS.  I've scored over a hundred shorts by Chaplin, Keaton, Arbuckle, Lloyd and Sennett. And I've written a number of orchestral scores, including the first American avant-garde film MANHATTA (1920), commissioned by MoMA, and most recently, Charlie Chaplin's THE PAWNSHOP (1916), commissioned by Brown University. SHERLOCK HOLMES  will be the first feature film score I've scored for a full orchestra. 
Funding 
The festival has commissioned only the actual writing of the music, and not the orchestration, so I am working in the weeks ahead to make a "short score" for piano with instrumental indications. As I complete each cue I am sending it to my dear friend, Peter Breiner, one of the finest orchestrators in the world. 

About Peter Breiner

Peter and I met in Slovakia in 1983 on a recording project, and quickly became best friends. He is an all-around musician—composer, pianist, conductor, arranger, as well as an accomplished writer. I helped him get settled in New York City after he left Bratislava and lived for a while in Canada. You heard his orchestrations for all the national anthems played at the Athens Olympics, and you may have heard his sensational Baroque Beatles album of concertos in the style of Bach, Handel and Vivaldi. He has conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, to mention just a few. He scored the two Chaplin shorts mentioned above just as a favor to me. I would like to return his generosity with a fee that is worthy of his work.

Please pledge what ever you can! 

Any amount is welcome. 

And please share this with your friends and colleagues on Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Check out the Indiegogo easy-to-use share tools that make it easy. 

And since you were kind enough to read all the way to the end, here's some music to choose perks by: my score (and orchestration) to Manhatta (1920), by Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand, performed live in Manhattan in October 2016 by the Empire Chamber Orchestra, David Bousso, conductor. 


Donald and Joanna performing on the Piazza Maggiore at Bologna's Cinema Ritrovato.  Oscar-winning author and film preservationist Kevin Brownlow speaking.


 More news and previews of the music and film to come! Please pledge now to keep informed!


Thanks so much for your help!


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Choose your Perk

featured

CD of Sherlock Holmes music

$20 USD
In response to requests, here is a new perk: A full-length CD with excerpts from the Sherlock Holmes live performance on July 16. The film is 116 minutes so I'll choose the best of the performance and create a unique CD.
Estimated Shipping
September 2016
2 out of 100 of claimed
Ships to European Union, United States of America

Baker Street Irregular

$10 USD
Thank you so much for your support! I will send you a link to one of my live performances. All funds contributed at all levels up to our goal will go directly to Peter Breiner for his orchestration. And I will send a personal thank you.
1 claimed

The American Premiere, 2015

$25 USD
Thank you! You'll get a link to view the premiere of SHERLOCK HOLMES at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in May 2015, and a personal thank you!
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
2 claimed

Online Film Link

$40 USD
Thank you! You'll get a link to highlights of the Odessa event (if possible, the whole event) ! Like a front row seat on the Odessa Steps to watch the premiere of SHERLOCK HOLMES on July 16! Plus the San Francisco link, AND a link to one of my live screenings.
Estimated Shipping
August 2016
2 out of 200 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Peter Breiner CDs

$50 USD
Wow, thanks! Choose two of the dozens of Peter Breiner's gorgeous CDs on the Naxos label. He'll inscribe a personal dedication to you or the recipient of your choice. PLUS the above video links.
Estimated Shipping
August 2016
2 out of 25 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

A Frame of the Film!

$75 USD
Rob Stone has made available actual frames of the film. You'll get one,plus links to Odessa and San Francisco videos.
Estimated Shipping
August 2016
3 out of 30 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

DVDs with My Scores & Postcard

$75 USD
In addition to the video links to the San Francisco and Odessa events, I'll send you a silent film DVD with my music. Choose from a list. PLUS a signed postcard from Odessa!
Estimated Shipping
September 2016
2 out of 50 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Sail Away CD and more!

$75 USD
Both video links PLUS an autographed copy of our CD, SAIL AWAY: Songs from the Heart of Broadway, with Joanna Seaton, voice and Donald Sosin, piano. A uniquely beautiful album of Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, and Coward.
Estimated Shipping
August 2016
0 out of 10 of claimed
Ships to European Union, United States of America

Rare Sherlock Comic Book

$125 USD
Rare comic book: Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Vanishing Villain. Plus the video links, and a CD or DVD of your choice.
Estimated Shipping
August 2016
0 out of 1 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

DVD of the 1916 film

$125 USD
Flicker Alley has generously donated 10 BluRay discs of the film with music by my friend and colleague, British composer Neil Brand. Plus links to the San Francisco and Odessa performances, plus a DVD of your choice with Donald's music, PLUS a link to the American premiere of Chaplin's THE PAWNSHOP at Brown University in March 2016.
Estimated Shipping
August 2016
1 out of 10 of claimed
Ships to European Union, United States of America

The Game is Afoot

$250 USD
Actually, the game is two hands. I'll play the song of your choice in any musical style and send it to you. Examples: "Hey, Jude" as a Chopin Polonaise, or "La Ci Darem, La Mano" as a Joplin rag. You'll also get the CD of "Love Among the Ruins" and other Film Music.
Estimated Shipping
November 2016
0 out of 25 of claimed
Ships to European Union, United States of America

Professional Photography

$450 USD
($800 Value) You get a two-hour photo session anywhere in Manhattan with professional photographer Nicholas Sosin. Great for engagement photos, headshots, your portfolio etc! Check out the style of his work: www.AmGroupNY.com
Estimated Shipping
October 2016
0 out of 4 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

San Francisco Silent Film Fest

$450 USD
The 2016 San Francisco Silent Film Festival has generously donated two passes to this year's event, June 2-5 at the historic Castro Theatre, with restored gems like WOMAN OF THE WORLD with Pola Negri; BEGGARS OF LIFE, DESTINY, VARIETÉ. the Japanese thriller THAT NIGHT'S WIFE, and gorgeous color films from the EYE Collection, Musicians from the US and Europe include Stephen Horne, Matti Bye, the Mont Alto Orchestra and myself. $500 value! Complete schedule at http://www.silentfilm.org
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
0 out of 1 of claimed

The Shamus Bakes Rugelach 4 U

$500 USD
I'll bake you two dozen mouth-watering rugelach and send them anywhere in the US along with one of my DVDs, a SAIL AWAY CD, and links to the San Francisco and Odessa events, plus many more live performances online not available to the public.
Estimated Shipping
September 2016
0 out of 10 of claimed
Ships to United States of America

Dine with Isabella Rossellini

$500 USD
Join Isabella Rossellini, Donald and Joanna for a light meal at her home on Long Island on Sat. August 6. Then join the crowd as Isabella leads a tour of her wonderful farm in Brookhaven, followed by an outdoor silent comedy program: Buster Keaton, Roscoe Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin! Joanna will lead a Coney Island singalong! Rain date Aug. 13. Tour and film sponsored by Plaza MAC, southern Long Island's premier art cinema. http://www.plazamac.org/events/
Estimated Shipping
August 2016
0 out of 12 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Film Fest Dinner with Donald

$650 USD
I'll take you and a guest to dinner during the San Francisco Silent Film Festival or Bologna's Cinema Ritrovato or Le Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone (this year or next), or the 2016 Odessa Festival, the 2016 Telluride Film Festival. Festival tickets and transportation not included, just the meal, scintillating conversation and the tip. Plus one of my DVDs and links to to the events above.
0 out of 5 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Peter Breiner Cooks 4 U

$750 USD
Peter Breiner will make dinner for you and two guests at his home in Brooklyn. He is an excellent chef, chooses fine wines, and will play piano for you afterwards.
Estimated Shipping
September 2016
0 out of 2 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Seaton and Sosin Entertain You

$2,500 USD
Joanna Seaton and Donald Sosin will present a program of songs from the silent film era and show a film with live music, anywhere in the CT-MA-NJ-NY area.
Estimated Shipping
May 2017
0 out of 10 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Commission a Breiner Original!

$2,500 USD
Peter Breiner will write and orchestrate a piece for you, up to 5 minutes in length, autograph the score and send it to you with a demo recording.
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
1 out of 4 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Your Very Own Song!

$2,500 USD
Donald and Joanna will write a song for you and send you an autographed CD of the recording. Choose the title, or send us a poem you've written and we'll record it!
Estimated Shipping
April 2017
0 out of 5 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

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