from the director...
Scored by time was made in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, an hour's drive from my home. The film is virtually an all Newfoundland production.
The film throws light on the trauma of the many displaced people that have migrated and migrate still today. My story is about an older woman, late in 19th century Europe, desperate to find refuge from both the cruelty of the social order and her personal demons. At this time, wars were raging across Europe terrifying people by the tens of thousands from their homes. The musical score for the film was completed by Johannes Brahms during this time in 1879.
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The story was conceived with Evelyn Hart in mind. Her renowned ability to embody music is breathtaking and she possesses a ferocious commitment to authenticity of expression. Accompanying Evelyn on film, the highly accomplished Duo Concertante offers a deeply humanistic rendering to the score. The Brahms Sonata no. 1 in G major op 78 (Adagio) was recorded by Duo Concertante especially for the film at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Canada. Scored by time is the latest of several recent collaborations I have had with Duo Concertante. Director of Photography, Duncan De Young , with his evocative lighting and deft handling of the camera, does full justice to these three world class performers.
The location for the film is a 19th century building, dusty with history, in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, built in 1894 as a Masonic Temple by the political and business elite.
The decaying interior replete with immense port wine barrels, old wooden baskets, crates and trunks, all reminders of the world's 19th century international trading economy, afforded me symbols of migration and mortality. The neglected resident pipe organ and a curious collection of broken pianos served to augment
the tragedy of the Brahms' Adagio.
My partner and neighbours in our rural Newfoundland
fishing outport contributed to the film with their custom
made props: doll, toy piano and violin and young girl's dress.
Ms Hart is a gem.
She has the ineffable image of greatness about her.
Clive Barnes The New York Post
Photo: Aleksandar Antonijevic
Award-winning Ballerina Evelyn Hart is an internationally renowned dancer and one of Canada's most treasured artists. She was principle dancer for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and enjoyed major associations with the National Ballet of Canada, the Bayerische Staatsballett and Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet. She has performed in over 118 countries around the world and on every continent.
...two packages of musical dynamite that would credit any stage on the planet.
Halifax Chronicle-Herald
Duo Concertante, violinist Nancy Dahn and pianist Timothy Steeves have performed in more than 600 concerts in North America, Europe, Central America and China. Their recordings have set the benchmark for musicians around the world. John Terauds noted of their epic recording of the complete Sonatas for Violin and Piano of Beethoven "these beautiful interpretations are so good right down to the tiniest of details that they deserve to be called a reference....in contemporary performance."
The Team
DIRECTOR: Nicola Hawkins
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Duncan De Young
WRITERS: Nicola Hawkins, Andrew Perlis
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Nicola Hawkins
SET DESIGN & BUILD: Andrew Perlis
COSTUMES: Nicola Hawkins
SPECIAL FX MAKE UP: Sarah Gerbig
DOLL: Elizabeth Steffan
DRESS: Lil Hawkins
TOY PIANO & VIOLIN: Andrew Perlis
FIRST CAMERAMAN: Herb Gibbons
EDITOR: Nicola Hawkins
COLOURIST: Aaron Elliott
CONSULTING EDITOR: Lyly Fortin
SOUND ENGINEER: Dennis Patterson
PRODUCER: David Jaeger
EDITOR: Leonie Wagner
FOLEY DESIGN: Adam Foran
REHEARSAL ASSISTANT: Sarah Mackey
SET ASSISTANT: Eli Quinn
NICOLA HAWKINS
Nicola Hawkins began her professional career as a stage director and choreographer when she moved to Boston, USA, from her native England and founded the Nicola Hawkins Dance Company (1993-2005). The award winning critically acclaimed company was known for its visually striking productions, drawing large audiences in Boston, New England and New York City. The Boston Herald noted: “There isn’t anything that Nicola Hawkins does demurely...the work is the evidence of Hawkins’ staggering ability to generate fresh and atypical dances...all of them accompanied by live musicians”. The Boston Globe noted: “Over the years, she has amassed an impressive repertoire of works that are musically sophisticated and theatrically alluring.”
As the company's sole choreographer and costume/set designer Nicola became known for her eclectic range of projects. She directed and choreographed a dance opera composed by Elena Ruehr for the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, choreographed for a Gamelan Orchestra at MIT led by Evan Ziporyn, and her company members were guest artists of Bobby McFerrin at Boston's Symphony Hall. Nicola was presented by many arts and educational institutions such as Bank of Boston Celebrity Series, Harvard University, MIT, and the Peabody Essex Museum. Nicola Hawkins Dance Company was granted many commissions and awards including those from the LEF Foundation, CrashARTS, and Dance Umbrella Boston.
In 2006, Nicola emigrated to Newfoundland, Canada, and immersed herself in her visual art practice. In 2011, she had a one woman show at the Provincial Gallery of Art and two others at the Provincial Craft Council Gallery. Most recently she returned to directing and choreographing for both stage and film. In 2019, she choreographed and directed the dance film, On Hold featuring father and daughter John and Louise Moyse. In 2020, she premiered Cross the Line, a staged choreographic work for five dancers set to Bach's Sonata no. 1 in B minor, BWV 1014, performed live by Duo Concertante. She further collaborated with Duo Concertante on Ecology of Being, to create a series of short films featuring five newly commissioned musical works performed by the duo. In 2021, again collaborating with Duo Concertante, Nicola directed Duo Concertante's Solace : four videos exploring themes of reconciliation, peace, understanding, and communion through the music of Dawn Avery, Alice Ho, Jessie Montgomery and Cesar Franck.
Biographies
Award-winning ballerina Evelyn Hart is an internationally renowned dancer and one of Canada's most treasured artists. After studying in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Professional Division, where she trained under David Moroni, she joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1976, becoming a soloist in 1978 and principal dancer in 1979. Over her 30 year career with the RWB, she performed on stages in over 118 countries and on every continent. With David Peregrine as her partner, Hart entered the World Ballet Concours in Osaka, Japan in 1980 and they won a bronze medal. The same year she was honoured as the first Canadian to be awarded a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. She also received the rarely awarded Certificate of Exceptional Artistic Achievement. Noted for her musicality and lyricism, Hart brought her trademark artistic and dramatic approach to the classical full length roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Onegin, Sleeping Beauty, Anna Kareninna, Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet. A few of her favourite roles included ballets created by Sir Frederick Ashton, Antony Tudor, Jirí Kylián, Norbert Vesak, Vincente Nebrada, Hans van Manen, Rudi van Dantzig, George Balanchine and James Kudelka. During her illustrious dance career, she has danced with some of the world's leading male dancers such as Sir Anthony Dowell, Richard Cragun, Patrick Bissell, Andris Liepa, Jose Carreño, Alexei Ratmansky, Manuel Legris and Rex Harrington. She enjoyed major associations with other well-known companies such as the National Ballet of Canada, Bayerische Staatsballett and the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, in addition to guest performances with companies and international galas around the world. She performed Roberto Campanella's pas de duex Decorum E with Rex Harrington at the Montreal's Gala Des Etoiles and Mario Radocovsky's pas de deux Inspiration for Toronto's ProArteDanza. She also narrated a Virtuosi concert in Winnipeg for the CBC Radio Two's In Performance . A 50-minute film about Hart entitled Moment of Light: The Dance of Evelyn Hart was produced in 1992 by Blue Morpho Films with the National Film Board of Canada. Max Wyman wrote a biography entitled Evelyn Hart: an Intimate Portrait published by McClelland & Stewart. She will also be profiled in CBC TV Life & Times. Evelyn Hart became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1983 and was promoted to Companion in 1994. In 1987, she was named Manitoba's Woman of the Year. McMaster University and the University of Manitoba presented her with honorary doctorates in 1989. She has received two ACTRA Awards for her performances on television of Belong and as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, both for CBC TV. She was awarded the Chalmers Award for excellence in the arts and inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000. In 2001, Hart received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award to recognize her lifetime achievement in the performing arts. She was nominated with Rex Harrington for a 2005 Gemini for Best Performance in a Performing Arts Program or Series for Veronica Tennant's A Pairing of Swans which aired on CBC TV’s Opening Night. In the second part of her career Evelyn Hart has taught master classes in Rimini Italy, Yokohama Japan, Vancouver B.C and with companies such as English National Ballet, Greek National Ballet, Ballet Trockadero, Goh Ballet Academy, L’ecole Superior, Young Canadians Ballet Program, and acted as Host of USAIBC 2012. She is mentor and coach to Heather Odgen (National Ballet of Canada), Bridget Zehr ( English National Ballet), Alys Shee (Birmingham Royal Ballet), Jonathan Davidsson (National Ballet of Canada) to name a few. She coached Alys Shee to a Silver medal in Moscow International Ballet Competition at age 14 earning her the distinction of being the youngest Canadian to win a in an International Ballet Competition in Canadian history, as well as a silver at the USA International Ballet Competition and the gold medal for her performance in the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. Since her her official retirement from the stage as ballerina, she has continued to create and perform with Duo Concertante, Older and Reckless and most recently was nominated for her performance in Four Old Legs,a work created by James Kudelka for Citadel and Comapagnie
EVELYN
HART
NANCY
DAHN
TIMOTHY
STEEVES
DUO CONCERTANTE
For twenty-three years through live performances and acclaimed recordings, violinist Nancy Dahn and pianist Timothy Steeves have built an international career as artist and life partners in the Canadian chamber ensemble Duo Concertante. Outstanding musicians, champions of new music, and visionary artistic directors, Nancy and Tim forge a musical legacy through live performances, recordings and a determination to provoke thought about our world through music. Known for the passion and brilliance of their performances, critics have praised Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves’ “artistry, poetry, and impeccable technique” (La Scena Musicale) and “deeply integrated performances that flow naturally as if the music were being created on the spot” (Gramophone). Their busy touring schedule across NorthAmerica, Europe, and China has led to performances at Wigmore Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, the National Arts Centre, Shanghai City Theatre and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. Nancy and Tim’s twelve commercial CDs include a 2011 JUNO award winner and the ECMA Classical Recording of the Year for 2017, 2018 and 2019. Their newest release of new Canadian works inspired by the climate emergency, Ecology of Being(Marquis Classics, March 2022), has been praised as “world-class…a powerful and deeply moving album” (WholeNote), and “wonderful music, superbly recorded... a balm for the soul” (Audiophilia). Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, they hold John Lewis Paton Distinguished Professorships at Memorial University and are also Artistic Directors of the Tuckamore Festival. www.duoconcertante.com
nicolahawkinsfilms.com