MAUD NELISSEN

 

Maud Nelissen studied piano with Herman Uhlhorn at the Utrecht Superior School of Music, graduating with honours.  Since then her speciality and passion has become “live” accompaniment of classic silent films – a field in which her work has earned an international reputation.  Apart from performing solo, Maud writes and orchestrates silent film accompaniments for orchestra and various ensembles. Two of her best-known works are her vibrant score, commissioned by the Nederlands Film in Concert, for King Vidor’s 1925 THE PATSY, starring Marion Davies; and the music for Erich von Stroheim’s 1925 THE MERRY WIDOW, for which she exceptionally won the permission and approval of the Franz Léhar estate to interpolate elements of the composer’s work. Maud has conducted this score at the Komische Oper, Berlin (2008), as well as various venues in Europe and the United States.

She has also founded her own ensemble  for silent film accompaniment, “The Sprockets”, whose enthusiasm and virtuosity have brought them continued success with the public.  With the Sprockets, Maud recorded the soundtrack for the ‘Animators Survival Kit logo’, created by the multi-Oscar-winning animator Richard Williams.

Apart from the Sprockets, Maud has collaborated with various other ensembles and orchestras including the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna and the  Cello8ctet Amsterdam.She made her American début in 2011 at the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival in Hollywood. 

In 2016 Maud’s arrangement for piano of the orchestral score for THE KID of Charlie Chaplin gained the approval of the Chaplin Estate and she is now the only pianist in the world who performs in public the music for THE KID on piano. 

In recent years Maud has performed with various silent film events at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Muziekgebouw aan IJ, Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht, Rotterdam Film Festival, Nederlands Film Festival, Eye Filminstituut, Berlin Film Festival, Schauspielhaus Frankfurt , Komische Oper Berlijn, Theater an der Wien, Vienna , Pordenone Film Festival, Bologna Film Festival,  Filmpodium Zürich,  Musée d’Orsay Parijs, Midnight Sun Film Festival Finland, TCM Film Festival Hollywood USA, Bangkok Silent Film Festival, Hongkong Filmarchive, Salzburger Festspiele, Berlin Filmfestival.

Maud’s music can be heard on the following DVD’s ( a selection) :

The Animator’s Survival Kit (Richard Williams) , Chaplin’s Mutual Comedies (Lobster Films Paris), Max Linder (Lobster Films Paris) and Asta Nielsen ( Edition Filmmuseum Munich), La Femme Revee (Gaumont Paris), Olympic Games 1928 (Criterion New York), Alice Guy and Lois Weber (Kino Lorber New York) ( Love and Duty, Disk Kino Beijing)