Lady Windermere’s Fan
(1925, score 2006)
Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
Writing credits: Julien Josephson, a modern adaptation from the play by Oscar Wilde
Starring: Ronald Colman, Irene Rich, May McAvoy, Bert Lytell
Genre: comedic drama
Country: U.S.
Running Time: 89 mins
I enjoy the absence of category Lady Windermere falls under, and rarely do I get asked to walk that middle ground between intense drama and comedy. With Ernst Lubitsch and Oscar Wilde, however, the composer is expected to run this thin line between the two all night long, and it is more than difficult to musically convey the relationship between them without it sounded terribly over-wrought and tired. As usual I am compelled to adhere to the screen quite closely, yet this emotionally expansive film has provided me the opportunity to perhaps expose my first love and deepest roots, from the concert-hall.
Instrumentation List
2 Flutes (2nd dbl.Piccolo)
2 Oboes (2nd dbl. English Horn)
2 Clarinets (2nd dbl. Bass-clarinet)
2 Bassoons
4 Horns
Timpani
Harp
Celeste
Strings (12,10,8,6,4)
