After releasing the critically acclaimed industrial progressive rock score to "Battleship Potemkin", Trakwerx officially released "Nosferatu" in 2007, Jackson Del Rey's experimental prog rock score to the original silent film. Nosferatu, subtitled Eine Symphonie des Grauens (A Symphony of Horror) is the first screen version of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Nosferatu was unofficially adapted from Stoker's novel, with the names of the characters changed in an effort to disguise the source.
In the case of Nosferatu, though, the ruse failed, and on the film's release Bram Stoker's widow sued, seeking the destruction of all prints. Fortunately, for the sake of posterity as well as anyone who just enjoys a well-made film, she did not achieve her goal, and Nosferatu survives today as one of the great silent classics.
Unlike “Battleship” where few modern scores exist, due to the popularity of the subject matter, there are many new scores, some vibrant and interesting, some unfortunately not so (note to reader: If you do attempt your own new score to Nosferatu, please please please don’t make it a Goth or Death Metal extravaganza…really, they DON’T work) but a seeming “gap” in artistic content seemed to be missing, because at it’s core, Nosferatu is in essence a love story.
To express this sentiment, Del Rey & The Sun Kings chose to blend classical instruments with of all things industrial sounds to help enhance the film obvious theme of duality (light and dark/man and woman/man and monster/woman and monster etc…). And so as there are indeed many “pretty” passages of music, there is indeed a healthy amount of dark and edgy material.
Nosferatu also pays homage to several of Del Rey’s favorite film composers, most notably Tangerine Dream, Popol Vue, Rachel Portman and Thomas Newman.
Performed by Del Rey & The Sun Kings
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