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.