The Big Picture Project

by Barbara Dennerlein
A big evening is being awaited: Barbara Dennerlein composed film music for a 67 minute experimental movie, and the world premiere of this movie will be on November 7 at St. Leodegar Church in Lucerne/Switzerland. The special highlight of this evening is that the music will be performed live to the pictures by the composer together with three other musicians. The organist came to Lucerne in October to the intense rehearsals with Roland von Flüe (saxophone and clarinet), Pius Baschnagel (drums) and Bea Föllmi (percussion).

Barbara plays the grand pipe organ of St. Leodegar that originally had been constructed  1640 to 1648 and still has a pipe from that time in the organ facade. This oldest organ pipe is also one of the hugest of its time with 32 feet and 844 pounds. The organ has been modified and extended a few times; it is famous for the antiphonal effect register "rain machine" and the "organ thunder storm", resulting from the play of the several parts of the organ. In 2015, an echo section has been added, built with restored ancient pipes from the 17th and 19th century that were removed during the last restoration in the 1970ties. The Echo Festival celebrates this with concerts over 9 days, and the "Big Picture Project" movie premiere is the final highlight of this festival. 

Unfortunately, it was not granted to the initiator and artist director of the "Big Picture Project" Nik Wallimann to witness this premiere. Last year he unexpectedly passed away. Nik Wallimann had occupied himself intensively with Barbara's music for a long time and was convinced that only she could set his lifework to music. Only a few weeks after both had met in Switzerland and immediately found a common base both artistically and personally Barbara got the sad news.

"Writing the film music was a very emotional and responsible task because Nik gave me his absolute trust and every discretion. The music is essential for the movie that consists of impressive picture sequences and thus conveys its message to the people without words, only visually and with the music. During my composing I had the feeling that Nik's spirit was around me", Barbara said. Wallimanns young partner Valentin Kathriner took over the directing work for the production. The project was supported by an award of the Migros foundation in 2014.

Mount Stanserhorn near Lake Lucerne is the central motive of the movie. 600,000 photos, taken during a period of more than three years every 58 seconds, were put together to film sequences by movie artists worldwide. A breathtaking variety of moods, changing nature phenomena and surreal colours melt into each other. "The Big Picture" plays with the transitions between picture and film, reality and surreal.

Due to good a view to the screen only 250 seats are available for the premiere. Reservations of the numbered seats are recommended. 

http://www.thebigpictureproject.info/