The Abyss 1910 and Con Tempo

Billed as a provocative film, the sound track for this black and white, silent film Afgrunden (The Abyss) is provided by quartet Con Tempo.

In this restored print presented to the Huston Film School by the Danish Film Archive, the plot of the 38 minute film follows Magda meeting her fiancé, who has invited her to visit him and his parents. While visiting them, a circus comes to town and Magda asks her fiancé to take her to the show. Afterwards one of the artists shows an interest in Magda and her fiancé becomes jealous and brings her home. The artist follows and enters her room through the window. She runs off with the artist leaving a goodbye note. The fiancé late locates Magda, but she rejects him. We see Magda perform a gaucho dance on stage around the artist who she has tied up with a lasso but afterwards the artist shows interest in another woman. Magda becomes jealous and starts a fight which gets her and the artist fired. She finds work as a piano player by which time her former fiancé sees her again. He sends her a note asking her to meet him. The artist follows Magda, interrupts their meeting and throws her fiancé out of the room. Magda starts a fight during which the artist drops dead on the floor. The police arrives and arrests Magda leaving the fiancé alone at the scene.

Con Tempo bring all sorts of musical influence to bear on the Danish film. Formed in 1995 by four students at the Music University in Bucharest, Romania, the quartet has become one of the most celebrated young quartets performing today and their selection as Galway’s Ensemble in Residence in 2003 has created a unique opportunity for the development of music in Galway.

In association with the John Huston Film School, NUI Galway.