La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc
The New Symphony Orchestra
Witness Carl Theodore Dreyer’s masterpiece, La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc with a live improvised score by Toronto’s own The New Symphony Orchestra.
The New Symphony Orchestra is an independent and amorphous ensemble committed to redefining the classical music experience. Born from a desire to challenge the conventions of the traditional symphony orchestra, the NSO offers a fresh, critical approach to classical music through the implementation of free-improvisation and interdisciplinary experimentation in their performances.
Spiritual rapture and institutional hypocrisy are brought to stark, vivid life in one of the most transcendent achievements of the silent era. Chronicling the trial of Joan of Arc in the final hours leading up to her execution, Danish master Carl Theodor Dreyer depicts her torment with startling immediacy, employing an array of techniques—including expressionistic lighting, interconnected sets, and painfully intimate close-ups— to immerse viewers in her subjective experience. Anchoring Dreyer’s audacious formal experimentation is a legendary performance by Renée Falconetti, whose haunted face channels both the agony and the ecstasy of martyrdom. Thought to have been lost to fire, the film’s original version was miraculously found in perfect condition in 1981 in a Norwegian mental institution, heightening the mythic status of this widely revered masterwork.