Ciné-concert Ozu's 'Gosses de Tokyo'
‘Gosses de Tokyo’ or ‘I was Born, But…’ - Yasujirō Ozu’s most famous silent movie - is a mesmerizing comedy that contains the gems of Ozu’s later work. Film Fest Gent and Ars Musica present a new score by composer Gwenaël Grisi.
‘Umarete wa mita keredo’ (French title: ‘Gosses de Tokyo’) is considered by experts as Ozu’s final study on the emotional world and behavior of children. The master of Japanese cinema (according to some, even the greatest director ever) depicts two young brothers and their relationship with their parents’ weakness and hypocrisy (in particular their pain and anger at the humiliations their father undergoes to please his boss) in a light-hearted, humorous and mild tone. Despite the humorous tone, this delicate family chronicle is also drowned in the sadness that accompanies the discovery that life doesn’t always comply with youthful ideals and innocence.
In this unique screening, Ozu’s last silent film from 1932 will be accompanied by a new score from Gwenaël Grisi created for the Ars Musica Festival in Brussels. The composer built a musical structure that highlights the events from a childlike perspective so that image and sound complement each other.
“Ozu’s direction of the children is quite masterly and he makes some splendidly wry comments on middle-class family life. Whichever way you look at it, it remains a supremely funny film, sunnily shot on locations which include Ozu’s favourite highways and byways.” (John Gillett)
Gwenaël Grisi (1989), World premiere – composition commissioned by Ars Musica together with Film Fest Gent
Monday 17 October @ Conservatory Ghent, Miry Concert Hall – 20:00
Jérémie Ninove, violoncelle / cello (BE)
Pauline Oreins, piano (BE)
Auguste Voisin, clarinette / klarinet (FR)
Maxime Charue, percussions / percussies (BE)
Sophie Ackermann, violin/alto / (alt)viol (BE)
Bio Gwenaël Grisi
Born in Charleroi (1989), the pianist, composer and arranger Gwenaël Grisi started studying music at 7 at the Ransart Academy. Since then, composition and improvisation have kept fascinating him. As he turned 18, he entered the Mons Royal Conservatory in order to study composition with Claude Ledoux, Jean-Luc Fafchamps, Denis Pousseur, Gilles Gobert and Christopher Young. Besides, he studied orchestration with Victor Kissine, Jeff Atmajian, Nicolas Bacri and Conrad Pope. Since 2015, he has been graduated for advanced musical composition with Jean-Pierre Deleuze.
In 2011, his orchestral piece Da polvere a polvere was awarded the Young Composer TACTUS prize and was praised by the most eminent critics and international professionals. Currently, his catalogue consists of piano pieces, chamber music (including three string quartets), small ensembles, concert bands and orchestras (including Sinking Consciousness, played in January 2015 by the Liège Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Christian Arming). In addition, he scores for short films (Exogenis, Parfum Vanille, Legato), TV and web commercials (Nocibé, Nexity, Vins de Champagne, Rodania and Diabolo Web – was elected best web commercial 2011) along with soundscapes and arrangements for plays (“Rien ne sert de courir” at the Théâtre des Martyrs). In 2015, he has been arranging an opera “Tintin et les bijoux de la Castafiore” for orchestra and singers in collaboration with the directors, François de Carpentries and Karine van Hercke. In March 2015, Sinking Consciousness was designated favorite on the TV5 Monde show 200 Millions de critiques.