Father Richard Williams, organist, composer and vicar of St Mary’s Church in Hay, performed his live accompaniment to FW Murnau’s classic, silent horror Nosferatu on Friday night.
Released in 1922, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror) is a German Expressionist adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring Max Schreck as the vampire.
Unauthorized by Stoker's heirs, the filmmakers at the time were sued over the adaptation, and a court ruling ordered all copies to be destroyed. However, with a few prints surviving, it went on to be regarded as an influential masterpiece of cinema. The film’s original music by composer Hans Erdmann was lost and never recovered.
Enter: Father Williams, bringing one of cinema’s forgotten classics to life in the atmospheric setting of St Mary’s. A moody evening of gothic horror to bring us into a weekend of wonders.
Hay Festival Winter Weekend runs until Sunday 25 November 2018. Explore the programme online for remaining tickets.