Friday, January 23, 2009

Four Works of Scott Joplin Heard in the Film 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Paramount (2009)]

The African American composer Scott Joplin (1868-1917) is the author of four soundtracks in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the film which has received 13 nominations for the 81st annual Oscar Awards. A 2-CD set of the soundtracks is already on sale:
Filmmakers dogged pursuits earn Oscar's attention
by John Horn
January 23, 2009
Thursday's nominations for the 81st annual Oscars brought a leading 13 nominations to 'Benjamin Button,' while 'Slumdog Millionaire' collected 10 nominations, with each shortlisted for best picture, director and adapted screenplay.”

IMDB.com reports that the soundtracks for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button include four composed by Scott Joplin: Country Club, Elite Syncopations, The Chrysanthemum and Bethena (A Concert Waltz). All but Bethena are performed by Joplin himself, according to the credits. Joplin's creative range is wider than many people realize, as evidenced by tomorrow's opening of Scott Joplin and Treemonisha, a production of Opera Memphis.  Scott Joplin is profiled at AfriClassical.com






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