Possibly the most emotionally devastating science fiction film ever made, Solaris follows scientist Chris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) as he is sent to a space station whose inhabitants have been attempting to make contact with the mysterious planet Solaris. Often described as a Soviet response to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Solaris is an enigmatic work of startling beauty and depth.
To mark this seminal film’s 50th anniversary, our special screening features live musical accompaniment by Matthew Nolan and Stephen Shannon. Their newly created score, specially commissioned recently for New York Film Festival and receiving its second-ever performance at the RCC, is rooted in both Tarkovsky’s aesthetic and philosophical concerns and in the sonic architecture of Artemyev’s original soundtrack. This alternative score, with its mesmerising waves of electronic sounds, brings the core concerns of the film into greater focus, its atmosphere of dread and longing offering a fascinating interpretation of the film’s cryptic emotions.
Nolan is a Dublin based musician, music curator, and academic. He was the founder and artistic director of 3epkano, an instrumental music ensemble who specialised in the production of original music for movies from the silent era.
Over the last 10 years, he has been involved in producing new music for several award-winning Irish films. He teaches Film Studies at Dublin Business School and Trinity College Dublin.
Shannon is a composer, musician and producer who works out of his own studio, Experimental Audio in Dublin, Ireland, where he writes and composes for film, documentaries and television. Previously, he composed the scores for an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell’s Tomato Red, directed by Juanita Williams and Brian O’Malley’s gothic horror, The Lodgers.
As a musician, he has over 20 years of experience in the music industry recording, producing, editing and mixing dozens of albums. He has worked with many international record labels, and recorded and released original music as a member of Halfset, Strands and Mount Alaska.
Matthew Nolan is a Dublin based musician, music curator, and academic. He was the founder and artistic director of 3epkano from 2004 to 2015, an instrumental music ensemble who specialised in the production of original music for movies from the silent era.
Over the last 10 years, he has been involved in producing new music for several award winning Irish films. He teaches Film Studies at Dublin Business School and Trinity College Dublin.
Stephen Shannon is a composer, musician and producer who works out of his own studio, Experimental Audio in Dublin, Ireland, where he writes and composes for film, documentaries and television. His most recent film work includes scores for Claire Dix’s feature film Sunlight (2023), Kim Bartley’s award-winning feature documentary Pure Grit (2021) and The Ex Wife (2022), a four part TV drama for Paramount. Previously, he composed the scores for an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell’s Tomato Red, directed by Juanita Williams and Brian O’Malley’s gothic horror, The Lodgers.
As a musician, he has over 20 years of experience in the music industry recording, producing, editing and mixing dozens of albums. He has worked with many international record labels, and recorded and released original music as a member of Halfset, Strands and Mount Alaska.
