Alumni Gazette
A Little Love Music
Moviegoers who were captivated by the music of 18th-century Venice that helped
bring to life the 2005 Disney/Touchstone release Casanova have Sonny
Kompanek ’73E (MA) to thank.
Enhancing the film’s lavish Venetian settings was a soundtrack of excerpts
from works by a panoply of Baroque composers: Vivaldi, Rameau, Handel, Albinoni,
and many more, all pulled together by arranger and orchestrator Kompanek, whose
long list of Hollywood credits also includes A Knight’s Tale, Gods
and Monsters, Three Kings, and The Big Lebowski.
Calling the movie “one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever
had,” Kompanek says, “This was a very ambitious endeavor on the
part of a major film studio—to have a film score employ the best Baroque
players in New York and L.A. . . . I must say they rose to the occasion most
admirably and met some very demanding changes with the greatest artistry I have
ever seen in a recording environment.”
Those talented artists included trumpeter John Thiessen
’87E, percussionist Joe Tompkins ’92E,
organist Jon Werking ’85E (MM), bassist
Louise Koby ’77E, and violinist Judson
Griffin ’73E—not to mention Eastman professor Paul
O’Dette as lute and mandolin soloist.
Their combined artistry paid off: The Casanova CD (Hollywood Records)
was No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Chart throughout the month of
February.
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