Julia Holter will score the 1928 silent film, The Passion of Joan of Arc
She promises “a wild place that reflects the rapture and trauma of Falconetti’s Joan.”
Julia Holter has announced that she will be composing a new score for Carl Theodor Dreyer's groundbreaking 1928 silent film, The Passion of Joan of Arc. The film stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti as the titular martyr as she's interrogated by the French court for heresy. Leeds’ Opera North Projects commissioned Holter for the project, which promises an expanded version of the score she debuted back in 2017 in Los Angeles.
Holter writes in a statement that she'll be "adapting a couple of relevant medieval chants for the ensemble to take the melodies to a wild place that reflects the rapture and trauma of Falconetti’s Joan, with the help of bells, organ and other instruments." If you've ever had a chance to immerse yourself in her masterful last album, 2018's Aviary, you know that means we're all in for a treat. The score will see its live debut next summer in Leeds and London — cop tickets here and hear a bit of Holter's score for yourself below.