Renoir: revered and reviled
- Submitting institution
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The University of Chichester
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
- Output identifier
- 722
- Type
- J - Composition
- Month
- -
- Year
- 2016
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
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- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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1
- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- Renoir: Revered and Reviled is a feature documentary that explores Renoir’s controversial later style focusing on the remarkable collection of 181 Renoirs housed in the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
The starting point for the score was a number of original piano works by Debussy and Ravel, but in order to make them function cinematically, they were re-arranged so that they fit into the prevailing narrative context and the requisite duration for a given scene. In some instances, a single melodic contrapuntal line was isolated from the original and then extended, re-harmonised, and expanded into a much larger scale musical cue for piano. In other cases, entirely original compositions that reflected the musical language and style of the period were composed to take the viewer on a journey through the paintings and the narrative arc of the documentary. A number of songs for Mezzo Soprano were also curated and adapted for screen to reflect the subject matter of the controversial paintings and the late aesthetic of the artist.
Renoir has been screened in 65 countries, broadcast on ITV, Sky Arts and ARTE, and released on DVD and through online channels. My soundtrack to the film has been released commercially online and through streaming services, and has received radio play in Europe and the USA. My score was nominated for a prestigious Jerry Goldsmith Award (2016) for Best Original Score for a Documentary Film.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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