A Night of Cinema Magic

Saturday, May 28, 2022 at 8:00pm

What was it like to watch a movie 100 years ago? Come to First Parish of Milton (535 Canton Avenue) to find out. On Saturday evening, May 28 at 8pm Milton Community Concerts will present "A Night of Cinema Magic" featuring silent film organist Peter Krasinski. Two classic silent film comedies featuring Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd will make you laugh out loud while enjoying a rare opportunity to experience a silent film as it was originally intended, with a live improvised accompaniment on a historic pipe organ.

Peter Krasinski has accompanied silent films for years all over North America, Europe, and Asia. He is the house organist at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI. Previously he played for an MCC concert in a presentation of Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid".

The first film of the evening is a 27-minute comedy called "The Boat" featuring Buster Keaton. It is the story of a man who builds a boat and takes his wife and two kids on what he thinks will be a safe relaxing cruise. During this trip everything that could go wrong, does. With his typical stone faced demeanor Buster tries to persevere, but only manages to make things worse by destroying everything around him.

The second film is a feature-length classic featuring Harold Lloyd, called "The Freshman". Harold plays a wide-eyed innocent trying to make the college football team. This movie is the first-of-its-kind to present the thrilling ending of a sporting event as its climax, a formula which has been copied many, many times since in numerous movies. According to film critic Leonard Maltin, "Harold Lloyd's THE FRESHMAN isn't just funny, it's foolproof", and it was Lloyd's highest-grossing silent feature.

Harold Lloyd is less well-known than his two contemporaries, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, although just like them, he acted, wrote, and directed his films. Since he himself held the copyright for those films he chose to limit their distribution because he felt they should only be accompanied by organ (as they will be here) and not by piano. He also resisted allowing his films to be shown on television. Nonetheless since 1960 audiences have rediscovered his treasure trove of films, including his most famous film SAFETY LAST in which he climbs up the side of a building and hangs from a clock.

Admission for this concert is $20 general, $10 for seniors and for 18 and under. Tickets will be available at the door only. The venue is accessible and parking is free and plentiful. Masks are required for all audience members. This concert is supported by a generous grant from the Milton Cultural Council, a part of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

PETER EDWIN KRASINSKI is broadly recognized as a motivating consultant for the pipe organ community, and as a conductor, organist and music educator, whose imaginative and energetic performances elevate and inform audiences. Well respected in both secular and sacred genres of his field, he has taught the enchantment of music to both public and private institutions in the greater Boston area for many years. His silent film performances have been hailed in the press as “a great marriage of movie and music.”

Specializing in the art of live silent film accompaniment, worldwide, some of his many appearances have included such venues as The Schermerhorn Symphony Center, (Nashville), Riverside Church, (NYC), Coral Ridge, (Fort Lauderdale), Irvine Auditorium, (University of Pennsylvania), Trinity Wall Street (NYC), Wanamaker’s-Macy’s Greek Hall (Philadelphia), St Joseph’s Cathedral (Hartford), Old South Church (Boston), National City Christian Church (Washington, DC), St Joseph’s Oratory (Montreal), The Kotzschmar Organ, (Portland), The Great Organ at Methuen Music Hall, and major concert halls in the cities of Yokohama, Fukui, Miyazaki and Kanazawa, Japan.

A multiple prize-winner, he is the recipient of the First Prize in Improvisation from the American Guild of Organists National Competition. A seasoned performer, he has played recitals at Notre-Dame Cathedral (Paris), the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, (Los Angeles), Holy Name Cathedral, (Chicago) and Mikael Agricola Church, (Helsinki).

Past Dean of the Boston Chapter AGO, Mr. Krasinski is House Organist at the Providence Performing Arts Center and Organist at First Church of Christ, Scientist in Providence RI. He recently presented Master Classes at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland. He holds both a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education and Organ Performance, and the Master of Sacred Music Degree from Boston University.