Welcome to Viola Dana's Electronic Press/Media Kit.
Viola Dana can be contacted through Kathy Corecig, a member of the band, at k.corecig[at]gmail.com or on
+61 405 106 171.
About Viola Dana
Viola Dana was the name of a starlet of the silent silver screen and is also the name of an ensemble of musicians based in Perth, Western Australia, who create and perform soundtracks for film. Led by violist/composer Kathy Corecig (nee Potter), this new ensemble has in its ranks some familar faces in WA music: cellist Tristen Parr (Schvendes, Fall Electric), drummer Pete Guazzelli (Fall Electric, Ghostdrums) and Mace Francis (MFO, Hounds of Jazz, Soul Limbo). The band's sound is infused with many different influences ranging from The Dirty Three and Tom Waits through to contemporary classical music composers such as Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt, American folk music and early jazz. Viola Dana premiered their new soundtrack, live, for Buster Keaton's silent comedy classic 'The General' (1926) at the 2009 Revelation Perth International Film Festival to acclaim, with the Revelation team commenting on their website:
Read another review to the right. Future projects by Viola Dana include creating soundtracks for both new and old pieces of cinema, with the current focus being a new soundtrack for Albert Lamorisse's The Red Balloon...
Video A clip from Buster Keaton's The General with music composed by
Katherine Corecig and performed by Viola Dana:
| Press clippings
Interview with Bob Gordon featured in Xpress Magazine, 2 July 2009 [click on image to enlarge]
 Review From the article: Nightmares & Wonders: The Necessity of Revelation: The 12th Revelation Perth International Film Festival in Senses of Cinema, issue 52.
This year featured two events featuring alternate silent film compositions; the first, for The General (Buster Keaton, 1926), was composed by Kathy Corecig and performed by local musicians Viola Dana. (4) The gorgeous new transfer flickered onscreen and soon after, Viola Dana’s driving mix of bluegrass and country folk transported the audience to The General’s civil war setting, always complementing – but never attempting to overbear – Keaton’s remarkable physical storytelling. A large number of children were present at the session, drawn into the film by the busy, rich score provided by the chamber ensemble. The film’s title character, the locomotive, provided a reoccurring musical motif that packed momentum until the film’s final frames. Viola Dana’s members remained humble during the rousing standing ovation, and as the end titles rolled, they each extended an arm toward the giant screen in acknowledgement of their conductor, Buster himself. |
